1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey Brainstuff, Lauren 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: vogelbomb here with a classic episode of the podcast. A 3 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 1: giant squid are legendary, and it's easy to understand why 4 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 1: such beautifully unhuman, sort of eldritch creatures have inspired so 5 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: many stories. But could a giant squid really take down 6 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 1: a ship or submarine? Hey Brainstuff, Lauren vogelbomb here. About 7 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,680 Speaker 1: three hundred different species of squid have been swimming in 8 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:36,520 Speaker 1: the world's oceans for more than four hundred million years. 9 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 1: There are three species that grow to massive proportions, the giant, 10 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: the colossal, and the jumbo, also known as the Humboldt squid. 11 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: While many squid are just a few inches long, giant 12 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 1: and colossal squid are enormous. These two types are estimated 13 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: to reach from thirty five to sixty feet in length 14 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: that's about ten to eighteen meters including their body and tentacles. 15 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:01,639 Speaker 1: That's larger than a full length school bus, and they 16 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: can weigh up to a thousand pounds or about four 17 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty kilograms. Their protruding eyes are the size 18 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:10,199 Speaker 1: of volleyballs. Humboldt squid are the smallest of the three 19 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: only about six feet that's two meters long and one 20 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:17,040 Speaker 1: hundred pounds or forty five kilograms. But how did these 21 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,320 Speaker 1: marine animals get so big? The most common explanation is 22 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: a phenomenon called deep sea gigantism. The theory suggests that 23 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: over time, small shallow water creatures evolved to live at 24 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: vast deep sea levels by getting bigger, likely due to 25 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: a combination of food supply and the increased size of 26 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: the predators at great depths. In shallow waters, it's advantageous 27 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: to stay small because there's limited food. But at the 28 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: extreme depths, where massive squid are thought to live between 29 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: about six hundred and fifty and two thousand, six hundred 30 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: feet that's about two hundred to seven hundred meters below 31 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: the surface, bigger creatures have size and endurance on their 32 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: side when traveling longer distances in search of food. When 33 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: you're a small fish in a large pond, you're a snack. 34 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: But if you're the bigh you have your choice of snacks. 35 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 1: But is the whole ocean there buffet, including human, ships 36 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: and submarines. Sea creatures feature prominently in seafairer tales around 37 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,919 Speaker 1: the world dating back to ancient times. In Greek and 38 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: Roman mythology, there's tales of great battles between man and 39 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: marine monsters capable of pulling ships underwater. Twelfth century Norwegian 40 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: sailors told stories of sea creatures they had seen. By 41 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: the eighteenth century, the creatures of Norwegian legend had grown 42 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: to the likes of islands with arms. It's thought that giant, 43 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: colossal and Humboldt squid are aggressive, opportunistic creatures that prey 44 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: on anything that comes their way, from easy meals of 45 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:40,639 Speaker 1: fish and shrimp to a more sporting hunt of other 46 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: large cephalopods and whales. The Humboldts specifically are known to 47 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:49,079 Speaker 1: be fierce cannibalistic fighters. Mexican fishermen have nicknamed them dieblos 48 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: rojos or red devils because of their bodies, red color 49 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,920 Speaker 1: and their hostile nature. And A squid of colossal dimensions 50 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: featured in Jules Vern's eighteen sixty nine novel twenty thousand 51 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: Leagues under the Sea, said to be a fictionalized account 52 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 1: of a real encounter between a French Navy ship and 53 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 1: a giant squid. Whether the original account is entirely fictional 54 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: or not, the novel peaked the public's interest in deep 55 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,920 Speaker 1: sea gigantism and marine attacks, and certainly isn't the only 56 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: account of squid attacking ships. In the nineteen thirties, the Brunswick, 57 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 1: the Royal Norwegian Navy's fifteen thousand ton tanker, was attacked 58 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:26,760 Speaker 1: three separate times by different giant squid. Each account tells 59 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 1: of a squid pursuing the tanker and striking it. Suddenly, 60 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: tentacles wrapped around the hull, fortunately for the sailors, yet 61 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: unfortunately for the squid. The steel of the ship proved 62 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: either too slick or too hard for the tentacles too 63 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: grapple and pierce. Each squid that tried to land the 64 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: Brunswick ended up perishing after sliding into the tanker's propellers. 65 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: As recently as two thousand and three, a giant squid 66 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: attempted to take down a boat, this time a French 67 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 1: yacht sailing ironically in the Jewels Verne Trophy, a prize 68 00:03:56,160 --> 00:04:00,280 Speaker 1: for the fastest global circumnavigation by a yacht. Luckily, the 69 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 1: twenty six foot long that's about eight meters squid gave 70 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: up before its demise or that of the boat. Some 71 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: scientists are skeptical that squid are dangerous to humans or watercraft, 72 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: suggesting that there are species with a fish based diet 73 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: and therefore have no need to attack humans or the 74 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: steel of a ship. But whether they're actively pursuing our 75 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: vessels or not, no gigantic squid has yet taken down 76 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 1: a modern ship, but it hasn't been for the lack 77 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: of trying. Today's episode is based on the article could 78 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: a squid take down a submarine? On HowStuffWorks dot com 79 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: written by Maria or Marky. Brainstuff is production of iHeartRadio 80 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: in partnership withhoustuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Claying. 81 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: Four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 82 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.