WEBVTT - Could a Giant Squid Take Down a Submarine?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren vog obamb here. About three hundred different species of

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<v Speaker 1>squid have been swimming in the world's oceans for more

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<v Speaker 1>than four hundred million years. There are three species that

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<v Speaker 1>grow too massive proportions, the giant, the colossal, and the jumbo,

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<v Speaker 1>also known as the Humboldt squid. While many squid are

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<v Speaker 1>just a few inches long, giant and colossal squid are enormous.

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<v Speaker 1>These two types are estimated to reach from thirty five

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<v Speaker 1>to sixty ft in length that's about ten to eighteen

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<v Speaker 1>meters including their body and tentacles. That's larger than a

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<v Speaker 1>full length school bus, and they can weigh up to

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<v Speaker 1>a thousand pounds or about four dred and fifty Their

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<v Speaker 1>protruding eyes are the size of volleyballs. Humboldt squid are

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<v Speaker 1>the smallest of the three, only about six feet that's

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<v Speaker 1>two ms long and a hundred pounds or forty five ms.

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<v Speaker 1>But how did these marine animals get so big? The

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<v Speaker 1>most common explanation is a phenomenon called deep sea gig antism.

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<v Speaker 1>The theory suggests that over time, small, shallow water creatures

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<v Speaker 1>evolved to live at vast deep sea levels by getting bigger,

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<v Speaker 1>likely due to a combination of food supply and the

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<v Speaker 1>increased size of the predators at great depths. In shallow waters,

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<v Speaker 1>it's advantageous to stay small because there's limited food. But

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<v Speaker 1>at the extreme depths where massive squid are thought to

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<v Speaker 1>live between about six hundred and fifty and two thousand,

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<v Speaker 1>six hundred feet that's about two hundred to seven hundred

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<v Speaker 1>meters below the surface, bigger creatures have size and endurance

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<v Speaker 1>on their side when traveling longer distances in search of food.

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<v Speaker 1>When you're a small fish in a large pond, you're

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<v Speaker 1>a snack. But if you're the big fish, you have

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<v Speaker 1>your choice of snacks. But is the whole ocean there buffet,

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<v Speaker 1>including human, ships and submarines. Sea creatures feature prominently in

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<v Speaker 1>seafairer tales around the world, dating back to ancient times.

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<v Speaker 1>In Greek and Roman mythology, there's tales of great battles

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<v Speaker 1>between man and marine monsters capable of pulling ships underwater.

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<v Speaker 1>Twelfth century Norwegian sailors old stories of sea creatures they

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<v Speaker 1>had seen. By the eighteenth century, the creatures of Norwegian

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<v Speaker 1>legend had grown to the likes of islands with arms.

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<v Speaker 1>It's thought that giant, colossal and Humboldt squid are aggressive,

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<v Speaker 1>opportunistic creatures that prey on anything that comes their way,

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<v Speaker 1>from easy meals of fish and shrimp to a more

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<v Speaker 1>sporting hunt of other large cephalopods and whales. The Humboldts

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<v Speaker 1>specifically are known to be fierce cannibalistic fighters. Mexican fishermen

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<v Speaker 1>have nicknamed them dielblos rojos or red devils because of

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<v Speaker 1>their body's red color and their hostile nature. And A

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<v Speaker 1>squid of colossal dimensions featured in Jules Verns eighteen sixty

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<v Speaker 1>nine novel twenty thousand Leagues under the Sea, said to

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<v Speaker 1>be a fictionalized account of a real encounter between a

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<v Speaker 1>French Navy ship and a giant squid. Whether the original

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<v Speaker 1>account is entirely fictional or not, the novel peaked the

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<v Speaker 1>public's interest in deep sea gigantism and marine attacks, and

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<v Speaker 1>certainly isn't the only account of squid attacking ships. In

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<v Speaker 1>the nineteen thirties, the Brunswick, the Royal Norwegian Navy's fifteen

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<v Speaker 1>thousand ton tanker, was attacked three separate times by different

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<v Speaker 1>giant squid. Each account tells of a squid pursuing the

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<v Speaker 1>tanker and striking it. Suddenly, tentacles wrapped around the hull,

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<v Speaker 1>fortunately for the sailors, yet unfortunately for the squid. The

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<v Speaker 1>steel of the ship proved either too slick or too

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<v Speaker 1>hard for the tentacles to grapple and pierce. Each squid

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<v Speaker 1>that tried to land the Brunswick ended up perishing after

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<v Speaker 1>sliding into the tanker's propellers. As recently as two thousand three,

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<v Speaker 1>a giant squid attempted to take down a boat, this

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<v Speaker 1>time a French yacht sailing ironically in the Jewels Verne Trophy,

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<v Speaker 1>a prize for the fastest global circumnavigation by a yacht. Luckily,

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<v Speaker 1>the twenty six ft long that's about eight meters squid

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<v Speaker 1>gave up before its demise or that of the boat.

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<v Speaker 1>Some scientists are skeptical that squid are dangerous to humans

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<v Speaker 1>or watercraft, suggesting that there are species with a fish

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<v Speaker 1>based diet and therefore have no need to attack humans

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<v Speaker 1>or the steel of a ship. But whether they're actively

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<v Speaker 1>pursuing our vessels or not, no gigantic squid has yet

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<v Speaker 1>taken down a more earned ship, but it hasn't been

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<v Speaker 1>for the lack of trying. Today's episode was written by

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<v Speaker 1>Maria Trimarchie and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on

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<v Speaker 1>this and lots of other huge topics, visit our home planet,

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<v Speaker 1>how Stuff Works dot com.