Squids

1
Squids

• The Threat is Real

Tom Quetchenbach E 10 Spring 2005
2
Covert Tactics

• Infiltration of all levels of society
• Impersonation of clergy
• 1187 Sea Monk
• Aquariums

call-of-the-sea.com
3
Motives

• Revenge
• Commercial fishing
• World Domination
• Beyond?

Wikipedia
4
What is a Squid?

• Shell-less mollusks
• Cephalopods
• Order Teuthida
• Also octopuses, nautiluses
• 298 Species

5
Anatomy of a Squid
Fin
Head
Mantle
Arms
Tentacle
Warmus.com
6
A Word About Squid Sizes

• Measures
• Mantle length (ML)?
• Total length (TL)?
• TL hard to measure
• Tentacles are stretchy!
• ML standard measure

tonmo.com
7
Squid Species

• Market Squid (Loligo)?
• ML 7-20 cm
• Well studied minimal threat
• Giant Squid (Architeuthis)?
• Never observed in wild
• ML up to 2.8 m
• TL up to 17m
• Mesonychoteuthis
• ML 2-4 m?

BBC
ML 1.5m
8
Squid Weapons

• Conventional
• Tentacles
• Suckers
• Beak
• Nuclear
• Unknown

amnh.org
9
Communication and Stealth

• Color changing
• Iridophores
• Chromatophores
• Camouflage
• Communication
• Cuttlefish
• Can change pattern instantly

planula.com.au
10
Squid Defenses

• Sepia
• Darkness
• Inaccessibility
• Deep Scattering Layer
• Effective
• Giant squid never observed alive in natural
  environment

nhm.ac.uk
11
Intelligence Gathering

• Difficult
• Many tools, none proven
• Manned submersibles
• ROVs
• Whales
• Examination of carcasses

mnh.si.edu
12
Next Steps

• Diplomacy
• Requires caution
• Significant language, cultural barriers
• Military action
• Only as a last resort
• Do not strike first

13
The Future

• Squid-dominated future a possibility
• Hopefully the human being and squid can coexist
  peacefully.