IN-A bid to crack the elusive ways of thegiant squid, the National Museum ofNatural History (NMNH) under theSmithsonian Institution in Washington,us, is mounting a giant expedition in thesouth Pacific near New Zealand, tostudy the creature in its natural habitat.Marine biologists from New Zealandare assisting the American team. ClydeF E Roper, a leading squid expert fromNMNH defends the idea of investing awhopping sum of us $5 million for thepurpose, by calling it "a relatively tinyinvestment when one thinks of thepotential for knowledge and information generated, particularly since weknow so little abouttheir biology andbehaviour." The tentacled monsters andtheir habitat haveremained shroudedin mystery despiteinnumerable expeditions to the deep.Although squidexperts have triedpersistently, theyhave so far beenunable to lay theirhands on a live specimen. They areas yet unaware about how thesecreatures swim, eat, rest, court andmate. All this will remain a mystery tillbiologists are able track them down totheir nest.
The giant squid is no ordinary being.It has the distinction of holding anumber of world records. It is believedto be the largest animal without abackbone. Some specimens have measured 18-21 m in length. Its hugeeyes are the largest in the animal kingdom, sometimes the size of a dinnerplate. And its nerve fibres are so hugethat they were initially mistaken forblood vessels.
But the fact remains that the monsterlargely represents our ignorance of thedeep. Experts have so far mainlydepended on the specimens capturedby fisherfolk for their knowledge.Invariably, the animals retrievedfrom overwhelmingly full fishingnets are found squashed and batteredto death. What is now expected toguide Roper and his team to the squids' den is the food chain. Findingshave revealed that giant squids feedon certain types of deep sea fish. Squidsin turn are eaten by sperm whales.The NMNH team intends trackingsquids by following the fauna fromboth ends of the food chain, hopingthat they could zero in on themsomewhere in the middle.
Some experts are not very enthusiastic about meeting this bonelessleviathan in its home ground. Whatputs them off are the ten large tentacleslined with sucker pads. Ellen C Forch,a fisheries biologist from New Zealandsays, "I have a lot of respect forthese animals", but she prefers tokeep her distance and will be part ofthe monitoring team operating aboarda ship.
The team of scientists initially plan tosend a robot down for an inspection Ofthe area. The group will then follow in a submersible called Johnson Sea-link operated by the Harbour BranchOceanographic Institution in FortPierce, Florida, us. The Johnson Sea-link- a large acrylic sphere designed toprovide maximum visibility - willcarry four people to a depth of 1,000 m,where the creature is supposed to live.Aided by the submersible's roboticarms, lights and video cameras, the pursuit of the creature might rival a scenefrom a thrilling science-fiction movieand the best of all, it would be fact andnot fiction. Says Roper, "If we find andfilm one (giant squid), it would beabsolutely spectacular. Even a few minutes of filming would give us a lot ofinformation."