KrakenFrom TinWiki.org
The Kraken is a mythical sea beast that was reported for many centuries by sailors of the high seas. It is believed to have been first mentioned by Norwegian sailors who believed the creature lurked off their coast. It was reported to have tentacles that could pull the largest warship to the bottom of the sea. It was reported to be "as large as islands floating in the sea", and could pull a ship down by its "whirlpool" made as it descended to the depths. Many stories describe the creature resembling a "Giant Squid" or "Giant Octopus (although no Octopus has been recorded reaching Kraken sizes, unlike the Giant Squid), with most stories placing the creature around the size of medium sized 18th century warship. Reports had been made of sailors observing the creature do "battle" with sperm whales on the surface, which gives further credence to the theory of the Kraken being a Giant Squid (Architeuthis Dux) since sperm whales' main prey is the Giant Squid. A poem was written in 1830 by Alfred Tennyson called "The Kraken" which was based upon the creature. French sailors claimed to have been attacked off the coast of Angola by such a beast in the late 18th century.
[edit] HistorySourceCarolus Linnaeus included kraken among the Cephalopods with the scientific name Microcosmus in the first edition of his Systema Naturae (1735), a taxonomic classification of living organisms, but excluded the animal in later editions. Kraken were also extensively described by Erik Pontoppidan, bishop of Bergen, in his "Natural History of Norway" (Copenhagen, 1752–3). Early accounts, including Pontoppidan's, describe the kraken as an animal "the size of a floating island" whose real danger for sailors was not the creature itself, but the whirlpool it created after quickly descending back into the ocean. However, Pontoppidan also described the destructive potential of the giant beast: "It is said that if it grabbed the largest warship, it could manage to pull it down to the bottom of the ocean" (Sjögren, 1980). Kraken were always distinct from sea serpents, also common in Scandinavian lore (Jörmungandr for instance). A representative early description is given by the Swede Jacob Wallenberg in his book Min son på galejan ("My son on the galley") from 1781: Kraken, also called the Crab-fish, which [according to the pilots of Norway] is not that huge, for heads and tails counted, he is no larger than our Öland is wide [i.e. less than 16 km] ... He stays at the sea floor, constantly surrounded by innumerable small fishes, who serve as his food and are fed by him in return: for his meal, if I remember correctly what E. Pontoppidan writes, lasts no longer than three months, and another three are then needed to digest it. His excrements nurture in the following an army of lesser fish, and for this reason, fishermen plumb after his resting place ... Gradually, Kraken ascends to the surface, and when he is at ten to twelve fathoms, the boats had better move out of his vicinity, as he will shortly thereafter burst up, like a floating island, spurting water from his dreadful nostrils and making ring waves around him, which can reach many miles. Could one doubt that this is the Leviathan of Job? In 1802 the French Malacologist Pierre Denys de Montfort recognized the existence of two kinds of giant octopus in Histoire Naturelle Générale et Particulière des Mollusques;The Kraken Octopus and the Colossal Octopus,although neither has ever been confirmed to this day and all reported encounters and carcasses have been disproved.These are not to be confused with the Pacific Giant Octopus,which is a confirmed species that can reach sizes of 30 feet in arm spread.Montfort's classification of his 'monster octopus' is not recognized by the ICZN. [edit] RealityIn reality there is a likely candidate for the Kraken;The Giant and Colossal Squid.In 2007 a History Channel documentary crew filmed a Giant Squid in the depths off of Mexico that is estimated to be 108 feet long including tentacles: such a squid would be larger than any previously recorded specimen. Modern sailor reports sporadically tell of encounters on the surface with these colossal beasts,which may have come to the surface searching for food,although it is extremely rare that Giant and Colossal Squid come to the surface from the depths-as far as we know. The first ever live picture of a Giant Squid was captured by a Japanese Marine biologist in 2004,followed by video in 2005. Since then numerous living specimens have been accidentally captured in fishing nets. Dead squid washed up onto the shore, dead squid found in fishing nets, and in the stomachs of Sperm Whales, first led to the scientific discovery of the species in the late 1800s.The Colossal Squid is a newer find as their habitat seems to be confined to the seas of the Antartic.The Colossal Squid on average is about 6 feet larger than its cousin,the Giant Squid.Recently a live Colossal Squid was captured in a fishing net off the Antarctic coast and was the largest squid ever captured by a fisherman.The Colossal Squid could be called more of a 'monster' than the Giant Squid,not only for its lager size but its hundreds of 'barb like' hooks on its tenticles.The Colossal Squid is generally larger in girth as well.Even with the recent scientific breakthroughs studying the creatures enough information is simply not known to make a definite 'guideline' on their feeding habits or how massive they can get. [edit] Giant Squid (Architeuthis Dux)Giant Squid are squid belonging to the Architeuthidae family,represented by as many as eight species of the genus Architeuthis.They deep ocean dwelling animals that can reach tremendous sizes,in fact the have the largest eyes of any animal in the animal kingdom.The eyes can reach the size of dinner plates.Recent estimates put the size of an adult female giant at 43 feet in length from caudal fin to the tip of the two long tenticles.Males are significantly smaller(as was rule with many primordial species) coming in at 33 feet from tip to tip.In 2007 a History Channel documentary crew with the show Monster Hunters filmed a squid at a depth of 1100 feet that experts say is a staggering 108 feet in length from tip to tip,although it was not officially documented and measured.
[edit] Giant Squid AnatomySourceLike all squid, a giant squid has a mantle (torso), eight arms and two longer tentacles. The arms and tentacles account for much of the squid's great length, so giant squid are much lighter than their chief predators, sperm whales. Scientifically documented specimens have weighed hundreds, rather than thousands, of kilograms.The inside surfaces of the arms and tentacles are lined with hundreds of sub-spherical suction cups, 2 to 5 centimeters (1 to 2 in) in diameter, each mounted on a stalk. The circumference of these suckers is lined with sharp, finely serrated rings of chitin. The perforation of these teeth and the suction of the cups serve to attach the squid to its prey. It is common to find circular scars from the suckers on or close to the head of sperm whales that have attacked giant squid. Each arm and tentacle is divided into three regions — carpus ("wrist"), manus ("hand") and dactylus ("finger") [1][2]. The carpus has a dense cluster of cups, in six or seven irregular, transverse rows. The manus is broader, close to the end of the arm, and has enlarged suckers in two medial rows. The dactylus is the tip. The bases of all the arms and tentacles are arranged in a circle surrounding the animal's single parrot-like beak, as in other cephalopods.Giant squid have small fins at the rear of the mantle used for locomotion. Like other cephalopods, giant squid are propelled by jet — by pushing water through its mantle cavity through the funnel, in gentle, rhythmic pulses. They can also move quickly by expanding the cavity to fill it with water, then contracting muscles to jet water through the funnel. Giant squid breathe using two large gills inside the mantle cavity. The circulatory system is closed, which is a distinct characteristic of cephalopods. Like other squid, they contain dark ink used to deter predators. Giant squid have a sophisticated nervous system and complex brain, attracting great interest from scientists. They also have the largest eyes of any living creature except perhaps colossal squid — over 30 centimeters (1 ft) in diameter. Large eyes can better detect light (including bioluminescent light), which is scarce in deep water. Giant squid and some other large squid species maintain neutral buoyancy in seawater through an ammonium chloride solution which flows throughout their body and is lighter than seawater. This differs from the method of flotation used by fish, which involves a gas-filled swim bladder. The solution tastes somewhat like salmiakki and makes giant squid unattractive for general human consumption.
Like all cephalopods, giant squid have organs called statocysts to sense their orientation and motion in water. The age of a giant squid can be determined by "growth rings" in the statocyst's "statolith", similar to determining the age of a tree by counting its rings. Much of what is known about giant squid age is based on estimates of the growth rings and from undigested beaks found in the stomachs of sperm whales. Giant Squid reach sexual maturity after about 3 years and reproduce like any other squid,their average weight is around 600 pounds for a female.The squid hunts mainly smaller squid and fishes,and lives at ocean depths of between 1000-6000 feet.Its main predator is the Sperm Whale and possibly Sleeper Sharks(although it is unknown if they hunt them or scavenge carcasses).Giant Squid have been mentioned in text dating back as far back as fourth century B.C,when Aristotle described the massive beasts.The Giant Squids habitat is widespread throughout the worlds oceans,and is the second largest invertebrate in the world,second to the Colossal Squid. [edit] Colossal Squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni)The largest of the known squid species,sometimes called the Antarctic Squid or Giant Cranch Squid.This beast has an average size of 46 feet in length,surpassing the average length of its cousin,the Giant Squid.SourceUnlike the giant squid, whose arms and tentacles only have suckers lined with small teeth, the Colossal Squid's arms and tentacles are also equipped with sharp hooks: some swiveling, others three-pointed.[1] Its body is wider and stouter, and therefore heavier, than that of the giant squid. Colossal Squids are believed to have a longer mantle than giant squids, although their tentacles are shorter.
The squid exhibits deep-sea gigantism. The beak of Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni is the largest known of any squid, exceeding that of Architeuthis (giant squid) in size and robustness. The Colossal Squid is also believed to have the largest eyes in the animal kingdom.**End Source The squids known range extends the entire southern oceans,from Antarctica to Southern South America to New Zealand and Southern Africa.The depth at which the Colossal Squid dwells in similar to the Giant Squid(1000-6000 feet),it is believed to hunt prey such as Chaetognatha, large fish like the Patagonian toothfish and other squid in the deep ocean using bioluminescence.The squids reproduction system is unknown,but some information can be inferred by dead specimens.Since males lack an organ called a hectocotylus (a tentacle used in other cephalopods to transfer a spermatophore to the female), they probably use a penis instead, which would be used to directly implant sperm into females.It is believed to be sexually dimorphic, with mature females generally being much larger than mature males, as is common in many species of invertebrates.Many sperm whales carry scars on their backs believed to be caused by the hooks of Colossal Squid. Colossal Squid are a major prey item for Antarctic sperm whales feeding in the Southern Ocean; 14% of the squid beaks found in the stomachs of these sperm whales are those of the Colossal Squid, which indicates that Colossal Squid make up 77% of the biomass consumed by these whales.[3] Many other animals also feed on this squid, including the beaked whales (such as the bottlenose whales), pilot whale, southern elephant seal, Patagonian toothfish, Pacific sleeper shark, and albatross (e.g., the Wandering and Sooty albatrosses). However, beaks from mature adults have only been recovered from those animals large enough to take such prey (i.e., the sperm whale and Pacific sleeper shark), while the remaining predators are limited to eating juveniles or young adults.[4]The largest known specimen was captured in 2007 by a New Zealand fishing vessel in the Antarctic after it was caught feeding on a Toothfish and would not let go,the fishermen decided to capture the creature and save it for examination.The squid originally weighed over 1000 pounds and was 33 feet from tip to tip.Although after being defrosted the squid was only 14 feet due to shrinkage of body after freezing and death.The high weight may have been due to gaseous release after death. Defrosting and dissection, April-May 2008 Thawing and dissection of the specimen took place at the Te Papa museum[16] under the direction of technician Mark Fenwick, Dutch marine biologist and toxicologist Olaf Blaauw, AUT biologist Dr Steve O'Shea, Dr Tsunemi Kubodera, and AUT biologist Kat Bolstad. Parts of the specimen have been examined:
The first Colossal Squid was identified in 1925 from two tentacles in the stomach of a Sperm Whale,but like the Giant Squid enough information has not been gathered to fully understand the size and scope of these animals. [edit] Comparisons with the KrakenIt is obvious that the Giant and Colossal Squid were the likely cause of the Kraken myth,which now is looked upon as more than "old sailors wives tales".Even though some reports were likely highly exaggerated concerning size,we can not discount the stories,especially the more realistic ones and the more modern ones such as huge squids attacking small sail boats in the Pacific at night,or squids grabbing a hold of ships rudders,likely mistaking the vessels for prey or preditors.This is one Sea Monster tale that modern science has proved to be true. [edit] Also on TinWiki[edit] Sources |
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