Giant squid with 40,000 sharp teeth take up residence in Monterey Bay

Mercury News ^ | 7/23/07 | Paul Rogers

[NormsRevenge]

It sounds like something out of a monster movie.

A mysterious sea creature, up to 7 feet long, weighing up to 100 pounds, with 40,000 sharp teeth. It hunts in packs of hundreds, flying through the water at 25 mph, changing color.

With a parrot-like beak and strong arms, it attacks and tries to eat nearly anything it sees, including fish, scuba divers, even its own kind.

But it's not a creature of Hollywood. It's real. And it's reached Monterey Bay. The Humboldt Squid, also known as the Giant Squid or Jumbo Squid, traditionally has lived in warm waters off South America and Mexico, where fishermen call it "diablo rojo," or "red devil."

For reasons that still aren't entirely clear, large numbers of the aggressive cephalopods have been steadily expanding their range north, first off San Diego and Los Angeles, where hundreds have washed up on beaches in recent years.

Now they appear to have taken up residence in Monterey Bay, according to a new study by researchers from Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) that was compiled with more than 16 years of underwater video.

"Relatively speaking, these are aggressive, pugnacious bullies. They are a sight to behold," said Bruce Robison, senior scientist at MBARI, based in Moss Landing.

--snip--

The invasion has sparked the interest of recreational fishermen, who fight to land them like marlins. It has piqued the curiosity of some chefs, who say they can be cooked like calamari. And it has drawn wary attention from fisheries biologists, who are concerned that although no environmental harm appears to be occurring now, the voracious invertebrates could deplete commercial fisheries like hake, known as Pacific whiting, a common ingredient in frozen fish sticks, or rockfish, which are sold in restaurants as "red snapper."

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[Osage Orange]

Ack! It's a giant squid and it's coming right for us!

Is it's name Hillary?

[SunkenCiv]

Google

[theFIRMbss]

>Giant squid with 40,000 sharp teeth take up residence in Monterey Bay

"Jones crusher! Jones crusher! Deadly jaws Better get the gauze!"

[Vision]

They’re dangerous. Did you watch the Discovery Channel show on killer squid? All filmed in the Sea of Cortez and the filmmaker made up plastic armor to wear when diving; the rationalization being that in a worst case their beaks are powerful enough to to bite through your chest and then water would run into your lungs \dismayed look.