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Divers exploring a WWII sunken ship off the Norwegian coast encountered this very large egg: https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/...cA0&ocid=HPDHP. Looking at the diver for size it appears about six feet in diameter and about eight feet tall (that's my guess). They did identify it as a giant squid's egg. They also said that much smaller squid can produce eggs a meter in diameter.
To me that large egg is very impressive and I would worry if momma is close by!
There were many small young inside and I believe it said the adult is not a giant squid, but a reasonably-sized normal one. I dont think they hang around to look after the young but abandon them to fend for themselves. Still... very interesting all the same.
Quote:
The southern shortfin squid, found in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, is between 8 and 16 inches long (not including their legs). They can somehow lay a giant sphere, around one meter (3 feet) in diameter, that's filled with eggs.
There were many small young inside and I believe it said the adult is not a giant squid, but a reasonably-sized normal one. I dont think they hang around to look after the young but abandon them to fend for themselves. Still... very interesting all the same.
It all depends on how you read that article. It states: "Baadness recognized the sphere as a giant squid egg — something he had only seen on the news." Later it goes on to state that the southern shortfin squid, that is only 8 to 16 inches long, not including the arms, can lay eggs up to 3 feet in diameter. This egg is considerably larger looking at it compared to the diver.
There were so many ancient accounts of giant squid attacking ships and we still know very little about them. We also have no explanation why they would attack large old ships and not the smaller pleasure craft we now have on our oceans. Perhaps they were not attacking our ancestor's ships as much as they were attacking the fish or whales they were catching?
Why?!?!? Why couldn't Dr. Baadness's parents have named him Wolf? Can you imagine? A deep sea scientist named Wolf Baadness discovering monsters? The movie almost writes itself.
Giant squids exist, but "giant" is subject to interpretation - by all accounts they might grow to 35 feet max. I think a few bodies have washed ashore and they are seen in the ocean by divers from time to time.
I don't lay credence to accounts of squids attacking old sailing ships. This is the time when maps still had labels that said "here there be dragons". They used to believe in mermaids as well, and krakens, and other mythical beasts. Sailors back then were a superstitious lot and tended to exaggerate, and the unexplored sea was a fearful place with lots of dangers be it weather, fire, disease, pirates, other ocean predators, starvation and thirst, etc. When you research some of these old cases of claiming to be attacked by giant squid the tales seem to vary by individuals based on how much grog they consumed in port.
Actually, it's an egg mass, not a single egg - containing thousands of individual eggs. The colossal squid (max. 46 feet) is thought to grow a bit larger than the giant squid (max. 40 feet):
Actually, it's an egg mass, not a single egg - containing thousands of individual eggs. The colossal squid (max. 46 feet) is thought to grow a bit larger than the giant squid (max. 40 feet):
Even though an egg mass; it's still very impressive. It's hard to visualize how any creature could produce such an egg sac.
It might be from a large number of female squid cramming their eggs and egg sacs together which then would appear to be one huge sac. Still, it looks pretty impressive. Has anyone said how large the sac is?
It might be from a large number of female squid cramming their eggs and egg sacs together which then would appear to be one huge sac. Still, it looks pretty impressive. Has anyone said how large the sac is?
I did not see the size in and could only find the one article. I estimated the size from the size of the diver. To me it looks like 6' round and 8' tall - but that is my estimate without a tape measure or knowing the exact size of the diver. I did see one comment, while trying to figure out the nationality of the divers, that Captain Badness was a large man (whatever that means). So feel free to correct my guess if you find a better one!
It would also be interesting to find out if one squid or many squid make these large eggs?
I did not see the size in and could only find the one article. I estimated the size from the size of the diver. To me it looks like 6' round and 8' tall - but that is my estimate without a tape measure or knowing the exact size of the diver. I did see one comment, while trying to figure out the nationality of the divers, that Captain Badness was a large man (whatever that means). So feel free to correct my guess if you find a better one!
It would also be interesting to find out if one squid or many squid make these large eggs?
I understand, but it could seem larger depending on perspective. The photo shows the diver approaching from behind. I had to watch the video again. My guess is based on the measurements given. I don't understand all the written language at the end of the video, but it seems to say that the diameter of the mass is about 100 centimeters. That's about 39 inches or a bit more than 3 feet. Circumference would be about 10 feet 3 inches (I think, unless my math is wrong).
The article says, "The southern shortfin squid, found in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, is between 8 and 16 inches long (not including their legs). They can somehow lay a giant sphere, around one meter (3 feet) in diameter, that's filled with eggs."
The photos and video seem to make it look gigantic, much larger than the diver. It's pretty weird looking and large, a bit larger than typically found. It's probably not as vastly larger than the divers. I think a lot of that is due to the perspective. What we don't know is how far or near the camera is from the sac, and how far or near the divers were to it. I don't think the divers would want to get too close to it in order to avoid the risk of accidentally puncturing it. That said, it's certainly not a tiny object. It's not a perfect sphere, so its shape can probably distort due to mild ocean currents on the ocean floor, sort of like a giant wobbly soap bubble.
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