The Kraken Cometh

Deep-sea giant squid (Architeuthis) remain one of the ocean’s most charismatic zoological mysteries. While there are plenty of specimens in museums around the world, little is known about their behaviour. Only recently have fleeting glimpses been captured of these creatures in their natural habitat; a 2005 paper (http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/272/1581/2583.full) in Proceedings of the Royal Society B described the first ever wild observations of a live giant squid. The author’s photographs showed a huge squid actively hunting at 900m below the surface and they even managed to recover a tentacle that snagged on the bait line (see panels ‘e’ and ‘f’ in the figure).

We also know about the predator-prey interaction between sperm whales and giant squid from the sharp-sucker scars often seen on whale skin and stomach contents (squid beaks are indigestible making them a useful clue to the diet of sperm whales).

Earlier this year, footage taken by a manned submersible was broadcast showing a giant squid 1000m deep in the North Pacific. The footage was captured using near-infrared light (using invisible to humans and squid) since giant squid avoid the bright white light used in conventional filming- perhaps something to do with those enormous eyes? (have a look here: http://www.eeb.yale.edu/ugrad/eeb171pdfs/sa-246-1982.pdf)

See clips from the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KN5N1QDaRQ

(picture credit: NHK/NEP/Discovery Channel via Reuters)

As an aside, it’s worth taking a look at this report on the unusual mating behaviour of giant squid – it turns out that male squid giant inject spermatophores directly into wounds that they form on the tentacles of a female:

(http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v389/n6652/full/389683a0.html)

More recently a somewhat alarming article showed how male squid overcome the challenges of mating at great depths using a ‘super squid sex organ’ – see the long white tubular structure in the picture below.

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8792000/8792008.stm)

DAWKINS ON HAMILTON

BBC Radio 4 has a series called “Great Lives”. The latest episode focused on the man who was probably the greatest evolutionary biologist in the second half of the 20th century, Bill Hamilton. His scientific papers are rather difficult to understand, being largely mathematical. But his ideas, in particular those leading to his theory of kin selection as an explanation of altruism, have been amazingly influential. Richard Dawkins, who popularised Hamilton’s ideas (without the maths) in The Selfish Gene, is on excellent form in this programme, together with Hamilton’s sister, Dr Mary Bliss. 30 minutes of excellent listening.

Click here to listen.

THE GATHERING OF THE KNOT

Red Knot are rather unprepossessing waders, but at certain times of the year they gather in enormous flocks. The BBC’s programme Autumnwatch recently had an item on this amazing spectacle. [Unfortunately, neither video will work outside the UK…] Here’s an extract for UK readers:

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham has written a blog in which he reckons that, in an average lifetime, you’d only get about 5 chances to see this amazing spectacle.

This video [UK readers only] shows how they managed to take the film:

Vodpod videos no longer available.

OVERFISHING AND GEOLOGY

November 2007

Two items on this week’s excellent The Material World (Radio 4). Both items look at the past, present and future of their subjects. There’s also a brief reminder of last week’s discussion of bombardier beetles. Click on “listen again”.

EUROPE 1.8 MY AGO – BBC GETS IT WRONG?

November 2007

Giant hyenas, giraffes and sabretooth cats roamed around Southern Spain 1.8 MY ago. A great collection of fossils have been unearthed at Fonelas in Granada.

BBC article. Scroll down the BBC page – what’s wrong with the picture of the sabretooth?

Highlight from here to the bottom of the post to read the answer: The upper canines were behind the lower canines – just like in a modern cat. This doesn’t look anywhere near as scary, so most modern pictures of sabretooths – and indeed, prehistoric images – have the big upper teeth at the front.

SPOT THE MISTEAK

October 2007

This story appeared on the BBC website and the national press today. What’s wrong with it? My 9-year old daughter spotted it straight away (which is obviously more than the journalists did!). Clue: you’d only have to change one letter to get a more likely explanation.

“Visitors to a Somerset stately home have been warned to keep away from a peacock – after he seriously damaged a luxury car he mistook for a mate. The amorous bird caused £4,000 worth of damage to an employee’s Lexus in the grounds of Sir Benjamin Slade’s country manor, Maunsel House, near Bridgwater. “It started when he fell in love with a Lexus, which was in a very distinct peacock blue,” said Sir Benjamin.”

BBC STUFF

September 2007

A lot of you would like to get a job working with the BBC Natural History Unit. Here is a link to a set of blogs their journalists are writing during some of their projects. And there’s a weekly BBC podcast of natural history programmes you can subscribe to.

CALEDONIAN PINE FOREST

March 2007

Very interesting Radio 4 programme about conservation in Scotland, around the Caledonian forest. Shows you the various sides to this particular issue. Listen again here. And while you’re there, here’s a good programme from 2006 about the badger cull/TB issue here.

TRIPPY STARLINGS

March 2007

When you were all babies, the amazing sight of millions of starlings swirling in the sky before roosting was a daily occurrence in British cities. With the catastrophic urban decline of this species, that’s all changed. This spectacular BBC video shows starlings roosting in Somerset reed beds.

GETTING ZOO ANIMALS TO MATE

March 2007

Radio 4 programme about the difficulties faced by captive breeding programmes, in particular for the white rhino. Can be downloaded as MP3.