Breaking the Squid Barrier

An anonymous reader writes "Dr. Steve O'Shea of Auckland, New Zealand is attempting to break the record for keeping deep sea squid alive in captivity, with the goal of being able to raise a giant squid one day. Right now, he's raising the broad squid, sepioteuthis australis, from egg masses found in seaweed. This is a lot harder than it sounds, because the squid he's studying grow rapidly and eat only live prey, making it hard for them to keep the squid from becoming prey themselves. If his research works out, you might one day be able to visit an aquarium and see giant squid."

Comments

Re:Only live prey?

[Alcohol Fueled]

When I hear "giant squid," I think of a... giant squid. Per Wikipedia: "Giant squid can grow to a tremendous size: recent estimates put the maximum size at 13 metres (43 ft) for females and 10 metres (33 ft) for males from caudal fin to the tip of the two long tentacles (second only to the colossal squid at an estimated 14 metres (46 ft), one of the largest living organisms)."

Re:cuttlefish are not quite squid...

[tkw954]

nonetheless, trying to raise giant squid may not be a good idea:

That's right, trying to raise a giant squid isn't a good idea, it's an awesome idea!

Re:A simple plan

[Ma8thew]

From Wikipedia:

Giant squid and some other large squid species maintain neutral buoyancy in seawater through an ammonium chloride solution which flows throughout their body and is lighter than seawater. This differs from the method of floatation used by fish, which involves a gas-filled swim bladder. The solution tastes somewhat like salmiakki and makes giant squid unattractive for general human consumption.

Re:Meanwhile

[Cyberax]

Do you know that MRI scanners use SQUIDs?

Seriously: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQUID