Giant Squid Found off Los Cristianos, Tenerife

The Giant Squid Caught by The Alecton off The Coast of Tenerife, 30th November 1861 Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com

Canarias7 report that a giant squid was found floating dead in the area off Los Cristianos, in the south of Tenerife, last Monday, October 24. The animal was of the species Architeuthis sp and had a large bite on the fin area at the back of its body.

This bite could have been the cause of the giant squid's death, but this could not be confirmed with any security, as it could also have been attacked when it was already dying. [1] A cetacean of medium build is wanted in connection with the attack.

(No, sorry, I made the last bit up. The Spanish report translated literally that it had been bitten by "a cetacean of medium stature" and that's what it made me think! :)

The immature animal of seven and a half meters in length (blimey, what's a grown up like?), whose sex has not been able to be confirmed, is now being studied by scientists of the Centro Oceanográfico (IEO) de Canarias (Canarian Oceanographic Center).

A local fisherman found the 8 metre long cephalopod, say Tenerife News, which weighed in at around 100 kilos, and dragged it to the shore where scientists examined it and took a biopsy.

Although present in all the world?s oceans, Architeutis is rarely seen, living as it does at depths of between 300 and 1,500 metres, in total darkness. According to experts the waters in the south of Tenerife are home to one of the largest populations of giant squid in the world.

[1] Mere speculation, but I suppose it could have suffered a post-coital attack, such as is described here, "However, the frenzy of copulation and the rigors of mating weaken the squid and those that do not die outright are quickly munched by the many sea lions, sharks, and dolphins that gather in the wings during such "festivals."

EEK! And we thought that sex takes it out of you!

If you also thought these beings only existed in Jules Verne novels, James Bond stories, Harry Potter and a host of other fictional settings, rest assured you are not alone. Everything you ever wanted to know about Giant squid From Wikipedia.

It was only a month ago that Japanese researchers, Tsunemi Kubodera and Kyoichi Mori, released the first pictures of live giant squid caught on camera (BBC report) and Giant Squid Finally Captured On Film (related article).