I stumbled across a Discovery Channel program last night that promised to be engaging and enlightening: Big Science: Giant Squid: Caught on Camera.  It was not disappointing.

For the first time ever, a giant squid (Architeuthis dux) was photographed in its natural habitat.  I discussed this exciting development last September when a few of the photographs were made available, but this Discovery Channel program showed how those photos came to be and what we learned from the experience.  All I can say is “Wow!”

PZ has a summary and the best photos, so I strongly suggest you go take a look at that.

This event is phenomenal as it has demonstrated significant aspects of the giant’s habits.  For instance, we learned it is in fact an active hunter and not just prone to floating in the dark waiting for some creature to get too close.  We also learned it’s extremely strong as it struggled and attacked the hook it was caught on for well over four hours, and it carried the hook and camera equipment up and down in the water with ease.  We also learned it is not the hapless victim of sperm whales; instead, there appears to be a vicious and deadly rivalry between the two, and many whales show evidence of squid attacks.  We also learned the squid has the fortitude to dismember itself when there is no other means of escape; in this particular case, it eventually severed its own tentacle so it could escape the hook upon which it was caught.  Finally, we learned the squid’s tentacles do not die immediately after being severed from the body; the severed arm pulled to the surface continued to move, and its suckers gripped every surface of the boat they touched, not to mention several fingers and hands, and all despite having no attached body.

I don’t know if the program will be shown again, but I suspect it will.  I strongly recommend you keep an eye out for it as it was definitely worth the hour of invested time.  It will be interesting to see video footage of this creature once that is obtained (and that is the most logical next step).

What other mysteries of the deep await discovery?  Plenty.  As the show pointed out, more is known about Mars than the deep oceans right here on our own planet.

Let’s hope something equally revealing is forthcoming on the giant squid’s larger cousin, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni.  Known as the colossal squid, it’s significantly larger than Architeuthis and seems to be a whole lot meaner.