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Giant Squid Filmed At Japanese Marina (wsj.com)

Posted by timothy on from the kraken-klaxon dept.

overThruster writes: The Wall Street Journal reports: "The rare sight of a giant squid swimming inside a marina was captured on video on the coast of the Sea of Japan. According to a manager at the Mizuhashi Fisherina in Toyama prefecture, about 250 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, one fisherman found a 3.7-meter (12.1-foot) giant squid swimming beneath fishing boats docked at the marina on the morning of Dec. 24." The extraordinary close up video taken by divers shows the giant squid's natural coloration as well as the action of its siphon propelling it through the water. Additional footage here.

57 comments

  1. 12 feet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    12 feet doesn't sound very giant to me, especially considering most of it probably is trailing tentacles.

    1. Re:12 feet? by xaxa · · Score: 2

      3.7m is a decent size, going by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      Perhaps you're thinking of the colossal squid?

    2. Re: 12 feet? by tysonedwards · · Score: 3, Funny

      Sadly, no busty brunettes in short pleated skirts were also present. Just lots and lots of Seamen.

      --
      Thirty four characters live here.
    3. Re:12 feet? by magarity · · Score: 1

      12 feet sounds big enough that I wouldn't be swimming with it. Those things go toe to toe against sperm whales.

  2. Oh no, there goes... by 605dave · · Score: 3, Funny

    Clearly this is a sign that the squid is fleeing from a newly reawakened Godzilla. Perhaps Japan should prep those army trucks with the electrical guns on top.

    --
    Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a difficult battle. - Plato
    1. Re:Oh no, there goes... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or, it was on a diplomatic mission to establish the first contact with the hungry bags, mostly water, as the squid's ready their power grab on the total sea domination.

    2. Re:Oh no, there goes... by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1

      Or, it was on a diplomatic mission to establish the first contact with the hungry bags, mostly water, as the squid's ready their power grab on the total sea domination.

      Hey, it could happen.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
  3. Better quality video by xaxa · · Score: 2

    Perhaps this one is closer to the source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    1. Re:Better quality video by plover · · Score: 1

      The video linked in the article is terrible. The footage of the squid looked like it might have been fantastic, but we'll never know because it was covered up by talking heads and half a dozen gigantic tentacled text-overlay monsters.

      --
      John
    2. Re:Better quality video by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      Jesus H - this. I predict in a couple of years it won't make any difference what the video actually contains because you won't be able to see it.

      Shut up and let the video alone!

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    3. Re:Better quality video by bfpierce · · Score: 1

      I'm sure the Japanese consider our news source video to be just as abjectly terrible.

    4. Re:Better quality video by Ksevio · · Score: 1

      Did you check the "Additional footage" link? It's 30 seconds of intro effects, some squid video, then 30 more seconds of outro effects.

    5. Re: Better quality video by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And the squid video is looped twice

    6. Re: Better quality video by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And the audio on the intro/outro appears to be stolen, watermarked from somewhere I can't quite hear

  4. At least they didn't instantly kill it... by Bearhouse · · Score: 4, Funny

    As part of some dubious "research" project into how delicious giant squid tastes...

    1. Re:At least they didn't instantly kill it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As part of some dubious "research" project into how delicious giant squid tastes...

      Or the squid didn't consume the divers swimming next to it.

    2. Re:At least they didn't instantly kill it... by will_die · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually they don't taste that good. Large squid taste like ammonia

    3. Re:At least they didn't instantly kill it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, darn those Japanese for doing something they've probably been doing for a thousand years despite the objections from a bunch of enviro-nuts that hijacked an organization whose preamble states their purpose to be to "provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry" to create a indefinite "moratorium" on whaling based on scientifically dubious viewpoints and outright lies.

    4. Re:At least they didn't instantly kill it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They've been sailing to Antarctica for a thousand years to hunt for whales?

      And have no concerns for the environment?

      I think you're more than a bit confused.

    5. Re:At least they didn't instantly kill it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What are you talking about? There are written accounts of whaling in Japan in the 7th century. And most of the "environmental concerns" surrounding whaling are either exaggerations, scientifically dubious or outright lies. While some species of whales are endangered and should of course be protected, many have ample populations and the only reasons against hunting are scientifically questionable (intelligence, health risks, etc).

    6. Re:At least they didn't instantly kill it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are written accounts of whaling in Japan in the 7th century.

      Using diesel powered ships and explosive harpoons?

  5. Tentacles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Tentacles and Japan.. mmm..

  6. I don't see a squid by flacco · · Score: 0, Troll

    All I see is a bunch of fucking Japanese characters and overlays.

    --
    pr0n - keeping monitor glass spotless since 1981.
    1. Re:I don't see a squid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      a bunch of fucking Japanese characters

      Sweet, anime porn. What's that URL again?

    2. Re:I don't see a squid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All I see is a bunch of fucking Japanese characters

      Oh, pipe down. You can see the squid just fine.

    3. Re:I don't see a squid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All I see is a bunch of fucking Japanese characters and overlays.

      That's Japanese TV for you. They somehow believe that adding as much information as possible at once is a good thing. It also goes for other media and quite a number of magazines are downright confusing due to all sorts of stuff being compressed into a single page with text all over.

      I can understand the text overlays on TV with computer generated earthquake warnings or other useful and urgent info, but adding it all over with often pointless info seems just plain silly. Japanese TV tend to be quite shallow btw. They do make some proper programs as well and the majority of the exported English dubbed TV tend to be of a better quality than the average US television program.

    4. Re:I don't see a squid by Nrrqshrr · · Score: 1

      I watch a lot of Japanese shows and movies and I think this is one major cultural difference between "us and them". They aren't that bothered with text.
      Sometimes half the screen is covered with blurbs of text here and there, their commercials nearly transcribe everything said in a text format right over the image. And no one seems bothered by it.
      Try doing that in a western show with our "TL;DR" mentality.

    5. Re:I don't see a squid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the main difference is that a portion of the Japanese populace can actually read

    6. Re:I don't see a squid by Lorens · · Score: 1

      All I see is a bunch of fucking Japanese characters

      Oh, pipe down. You can see the squid just fine.

      What, is there a US Navy talking head in there too?

    7. Re: I don't see a squid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I came to this thread hoping to find some tips on improving my squid proxy. Left disappointed. Learned nothing :(

    8. Re:I don't see a squid by flacco · · Score: 1

      Oh my god I just got the joke that I think this is. Well done, sir or madam.

      --
      pr0n - keeping monitor glass spotless since 1981.
    9. Re:I don't see a squid by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Hmm... Not many people refer to the USN as "squids." In fact, they're usually few and proud - at least in my observations.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  7. Safe to dive with that thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Those divers are nuts. That squid could easily kill and eat them

  8. too late by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It's a kid now.

    1. Re:too late by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I lost it, thanks for this!

  9. Natural coloration? by damn_registrars · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If we expect this animal to spend most of its life living at greater depths, then something is likely amiss with it that is bringing it this near the surface. While this would likely be closer-to-natural for coloration than a dead one, I'm not sure that it is necessarily fully in its natural coloration, either.

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
    1. Re:Natural coloration? by Solandri · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The usual MO for these deep water species is to stay in deep water during the day for protection, and rise closer to the surface at night to feed (there being more stuff to eat per cubic meter closer to the surface). That works fine in the open ocean, but if they get too close to the shore it isn't exactly obvious which direction they need to swim to get back to the open ocean. This is especially true for harbors, which if you've ever gone boating is basically a man-made maze to block incoming waves and swells. It is very easy for a deep water animal to enter a harbor during its normal feeding cycle at night, then get stuck trying to find its way back to deeper water at day.

    2. Re:Natural coloration? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Giant squid (Architeuthis) are adapted to deep cold water to the point that much of their biochemistry doesn't work well at shallower depths. For this one to be on the surface would mean one of 2 things, it was very sick, or it was very hungry. Since it didn't attack the diver I would think the former is the case in this instance.

      At to it's coloration I would have to agree that it is probably not its' "natural" color since the creature would be under a great deal of stress being in warm (comparatively) shallow water.

      One thing I can say for certain: There is no fucking way I would be in the water with that thing. Squids are carnivorous, and the beak it has in its mouth would be able to tear a person into bite size tid bits with ease. And there would be nothing you could do once it had it's tentacles around you.

  10. and then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    they killed it and ate it in the name of scientific research,

  11. WTF is up with the video link? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Seriously? a fucking 25 second intro with nothing but shitty music and crappy graphics? Get to the point and stop wasting my fucking time!

  12. False alarm by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

    Turns out they were shooting a tentacle porn movie. The squid was a rubber dummy.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  13. Giant Squid Filmed At Japanese Marina by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 1

    Japanese school girls are in a state of panic.

  14. Earthquake? by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 1

    One comment on the website says "Big earthquake coming soon. Brace Yourselves. Deep sea creatures in shallow waters is a bad omen."

    1. Re:Earthquake? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If that's the case it must indicate a suicidal tendency among squid, as being near shore before a major earthquake (and accompanying tsunami) would probably greatly increase the chances of horrible death. I think where possible ships book for deep water whenever a storm surge/tsunami is forecast.

    2. Re:Earthquake? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      One comment on the website says "Big earthquake coming soon. Brace Yourselves. Deep sea creatures in shallow waters is a bad omen."

      Being the country with the most earthquakes, they do have quite a history of rules for predicting them. Some are bogus and some could hold some truth. There is an island in Italy (well in the sea next to Italy) with frequent, yet minor volcanic eruptions. An eruption throws out a few stones, which rolls down the hill, into the water and crush some animals and that's it. Surprisingly the squids flee prior to the eruptions and returns right after things settle down to eat whatever was crusted by falling stones. Researchers noticed this prediction ability and started doing research and it turned out that exposing captured squid to 1/4 Hz vibrations made them panic and tried to flee. It just happens that magma moving towards the surface rumbles at 1/4 Hz, making it impossible to sense for humans.

      This mean a squid behaving different from normal could be a sign of a buildup towards an earthquake. It could also be a sign of an individual squid being old or ill and having lost its sense of direction.

    3. Re:Earthquake? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If that's the case it must indicate a suicidal tendency among squid, as being near shore before a major earthquake (and accompanying tsunami) would probably greatly increase the chances of horrible death. I think where possible ships book for deep water whenever a storm surge/tsunami is forecast.

      Squids are stupid. Odds are that it just moved away from the noise from tension building up. In a simple mind, the place with the source of the noise is the dangerous place. We know from science and abstract thinking, not to mention education that moving to the shore is a stupid move, but who told the squid?

    4. Re:Earthquake? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Squids are stupid."

      I don't know about this particular species of squid but several species are highly intelligent for cephalopods. Some have demonstrated tool usage, coordinated hunting & problem solving. There are several documented cases of them opening jars & traps to access food.

    5. Re:Earthquake? by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 1

      But even the most intelligent squids still wouldn't know that staying close to the big scary noise is the safest place to be.

    6. Re:Earthquake? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Squids are stupid."

      I don't know about this particular species of squid but several species are highly intelligent for cephalopods. Some have demonstrated tool usage, coordinated hunting & problem solving. There are several documented cases of them opening jars & traps to access food.

      True, but the jar experiment shows while they can solve problems, they have problems remembering. Researchers put food in a jar and it took ages to figure out how to unscrew the cap (several hours if I remember correctly). The next one was opened almost instantly and they gave it a jar daily after that, each time with the same result. They then stopped providing jars for 3 months and then presented with the jar with food inside, it started all over trying to figure out how to get it out and it took hours once again. They never really uncovered how long it takes to forget, but it's somewhere between a week and 3 months and once it's forgotten, it's gone for good.

    7. Re:Earthquake? by Holi · · Score: 1

      I'm going to go with ill do to the lethargic movements.

      --
      Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
    8. Re:Earthquake? by Holi · · Score: 1

      And the fact that a deep sea animal is hanging out in shallow water.

      --
      Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
  15. Pixelation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I watch a lot of Japanese shows and movies and I think this is one major cultural difference between "us and them". They aren't that bothered with text.
    Sometimes half the screen is covered with blurbs of text here and there, their commercials nearly transcribe everything said in a text format right over the image. And no one seems bothered by it

    The Japanese are used to things being covered up.

  16. This is a typical squid by Geek_Cop · · Score: 1

    ....that may have been affected by radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Just a theory.

  17. Godzilla jokes aside.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    .... how much of an affect do you think Fukushima is having on the aquatic life in the area?
    Even a normally shy species might be prompted to make a WTF flyby?

  18. viral marketing for Mothra & Mecha Squidrilla by Thud457 · · Score: 1
    What part of

    Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

    didn't you understand?!!

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  19. Super-sized calamari rings! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And a lot of them too!