Posted on 07/17/2009 1:36:04 PM PDT by libstripper
I know that I’m responding to an older post, but I just happened to watch a really good presentation on the Humboldt Squid today. You can feel free to skip the Q&A at the end with it’s ‘humanity is screwing everything up’ overtones, but the balance of it is pretty good info from one Capt. Scott Cassell, who’s probably spent more time in the water with these things than anyone else alive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4iDQsXIi3I
Some key points:
*They’re extremely opportunistic predators, and will eat anything, including each other and there are now known cases of people getting killed by them
*They breed and grow at a fantastic rate
*Their natural predators are fewer in number than before
*Their habitat is rapidly expanding, and now includes pretty much the entire Pacific Coast
Points of interest
*Three hearts
*Blood is blue when oxygenated and clear when it’s not
*The ‘light show’ multicolored aspect of their appearance, is wired directly to their brains, without first passing through a central nervous system
*They’re scary smart
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