NHK/NEP/Discovery Channel, via Associated Press
An expedition was able to capture video of giant squid, Architeuthis, using lures that mimic bioluminescent jellyfish.
For decades, scientists and sea explorers have sought to hunt down and photograph the giant squid — a legendary monster of the deep with eyes the size of soccer balls and long tentacles lined with sucker pads. Dead specimens had been caught in nets or washed up on shore, but they revealed few of the species' behavioral secrets.
Now, an expedition off Japan has captured video images of lively, iridescent giant squid moving in their deep lair. The video success appears to be a first; previous expeditions succeeded in capturing only still images of the animal in its habitat.
The expedition located giant squid six times by dangling glowing lures that mimicked the luminescence of deep-sea jellyfish, which act as glowing indicators of nearby prey.
"The giant squid has the biggest eyes of any animal on the planet," said a member of the expedition, Edith Widder, president of the Ocean Research and Conservation Association, in Fort Pierce, Fla. "It's a visual predator. So we took advantage of that and used an optical lure." She said all the specimens were of Architeuthis, the genus name for the giant squid.
The expedition — on a ship owned by Ray Dalio, founder of the investment firm Bridgewater Associates — sailed in June and July 2012. The videos are to appear on Jan. 27 on a Discovery Channel show, "Monster Squid: The Giant Is Real." In an interview, Dr. Widder said the expedition's success suggested that bioluminescent mimicry offered a powerful new tool in searching for abyssal life.
By Discovery Channel
For decades, scientists and sea explorers have sought to hunt down and photograph the giant squid. The hunt is over.
"We've been scaring stuff away," she said. "Now we have new tools for exploring the deep and have to pull together a deep exploration program that takes advantage of them."
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: January 21, 2013
A picture caption on Tuesday with a report in the Observatory column on Tuesday repeated an error about the relationship between giant squid and jellyfish. Jellyfish act as glowing indicators of nearby prey; they are not a favorite food of giant squid.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: January 18, 2013
A report in the Observatory column on Tuesday about filming giant squid misstated the role of Ray Dalio, the founder of the investment firm Bridgewater Associates. The expedition used his ship and research equipment; it was not financed by him. The article also misstated the relationship between giant squid and jellyfish. Jellyfish act as glowing indicators of nearby prey; they are not a favorite food of giant squid.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Observatory: Elusive Giant Squids Are Set to Make Small-Screen Debut
Dengan url
https://scienceteko.blogspot.com/2013/01/observatory-elusive-giant-squids-are_21.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Observatory: Elusive Giant Squids Are Set to Make Small-Screen Debut
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Observatory: Elusive Giant Squids Are Set to Make Small-Screen Debut
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar