WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Could a Giant Squid Take Down a Submarine?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey Brainstuff, Lauren

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<v Speaker 1>vogelbomb here with a classic episode of the podcast. A

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<v Speaker 1>giant squid are legendary, and it's easy to understand why

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<v Speaker 1>such beautifully unhuman, sort of eldritch creatures have inspired so

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<v Speaker 1>many stories. But could a giant squid really take down

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<v Speaker 1>a ship or submarine? Hey Brainstuff, Lauren vogelbomb here. About

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<v Speaker 1>three hundred different species of squid have been swimming in

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<v Speaker 1>the world's oceans for more than four hundred million years.

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<v Speaker 1>There are three species that grow to massive proportions, the giant,

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<v Speaker 1>the colossal, and the jumbo, also known as the Humboldt squid.

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<v Speaker 1>While many squid are just a few inches long, giant

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<v Speaker 1>and colossal squid are enormous. These two types are estimated

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<v Speaker 1>to reach from thirty five to sixty feet in length

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<v Speaker 1>that's about ten to eighteen meters including their body and tentacles.

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<v Speaker 1>That's larger than a full length school bus, and they

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<v Speaker 1>can weigh up to a thousand pounds or about four

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and fifty kilograms. Their protruding eyes are the size

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<v Speaker 1>of volleyballs. Humboldt squid are the smallest of the three

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<v Speaker 1>only about six feet that's two meters long and one

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<v Speaker 1>hundred pounds or forty five kilograms. But how did these

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<v Speaker 1>marine animals get so big? The most common explanation is

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<v Speaker 1>a phenomenon called deep sea gigantism. The theory suggests that

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<v Speaker 1>over time, small shallow water creatures evolved to live at

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<v Speaker 1>vast deep sea levels by getting bigger, likely due to

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<v Speaker 1>a combination of food supply and the increased size of

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<v Speaker 1>the predators at great depths. In shallow waters, it's advantageous

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

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<v Speaker 1>extreme depths, where massive squid are thought to live between

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>the surface, bigger creatures have size and endurance on their

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>But if you're the bigh you have your choice of snacks.

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<v Speaker 1>But is the whole ocean there buffet, including human, ships

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<v Speaker 1>and submarines. Sea creatures feature prominently in seafairer tales around

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<v Speaker 1>the world dating back to ancient times. In Greek and

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

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<v Speaker 1>marine monsters capable of pulling ships underwater. Twelfth century Norwegian

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<v Speaker 1>sailors told stories of sea creatures they had seen. By

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<v Speaker 1>the eighteenth century, the creatures of Norwegian legend had grown

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<v Speaker 1>to the likes of islands with arms. It's thought that giant,

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<v Speaker 1>colossal and Humboldt squid are aggressive, opportunistic creatures that prey

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<v Speaker 1>on anything that comes their way, from easy meals of

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<v Speaker 1>fish and shrimp to a more sporting hunt of other

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<v Speaker 1>large cephalopods and whales. The Humboldts specifically are known to

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<v Speaker 1>be fierce cannibalistic fighters. Mexican fishermen have nicknamed them dieblos

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<v Speaker 1>rojos or red devils because of their bodies, red color

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<v Speaker 1>and their hostile nature. And A squid of colossal dimensions

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<v Speaker 1>featured in Jules Vern's eighteen sixty nine novel twenty thousand

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<v Speaker 1>Leagues under the Sea, said to be a fictionalized account

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<v Speaker 1>of a real encounter between a French Navy ship and

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<v Speaker 1>a giant squid. Whether the original account is entirely fictional

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<v Speaker 1>or not, the novel peaked the public's interest in deep

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<v Speaker 1>sea gigantism and marine attacks, and certainly isn't the only

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<v Speaker 1>account of squid attacking ships. In the nineteen thirties, the Brunswick,

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<v Speaker 1>the Royal Norwegian Navy's fifteen thousand ton tanker, was attacked

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<v Speaker 1>three separate times by different giant squid. Each account tells

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<v Speaker 1>of a squid pursuing the tanker and striking it. Suddenly,

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<v Speaker 1>tentacles wrapped around the hull, fortunately for the sailors, yet

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<v Speaker 1>unfortunately for the squid. The steel of the ship proved

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<v Speaker 1>either too slick or too hard for the tentacles too

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<v Speaker 1>grapple and pierce. Each squid that tried to land the

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<v Speaker 1>Brunswick ended up perishing after sliding into the tanker's propellers.

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<v Speaker 1>As recently as two thousand and three, a giant squid

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<v Speaker 1>attempted to take down a boat, this time a French

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>twenty six foot long that's about eight meters squid gave

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

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<v Speaker 1>scientists are skeptical that squid are dangerous to humans or watercraft,

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<v Speaker 1>suggesting that there are species with a fish based diet

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<v Speaker 1>and therefore have no need to attack humans or the

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

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<v Speaker 1>vessels or not, no gigantic squid has yet taken down

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<v Speaker 1>a modern ship, but it hasn't been for the lack

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<v Speaker 1>of trying. Today's episode is based on the article could

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<v Speaker 1>a squid take down a submarine? On HowStuffWorks dot com

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<v Speaker 1>written by Maria or Marky. Brainstuff is production of iHeartRadio

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<v Speaker 1>in partnership withhoustuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Claying.

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<v Speaker 1>Four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.