[OT] "Giant Sea Creature Found In Chile" (article)

[krunchyfrogg]

LINK

SANTIAGO (AFP) - Scientists are examining the remains of a giant squid found washed up on a Chilean beach, a rare appearance of the deep-sea creature.

The remains, 12.4 meters (41 feet) in length and weighing 13 tonnes, was first thought to be the skin of a whale when it was discovered June 24 near Maullin on the Pacific Ocean coast, the Center for Cetacean Conservation said Wednesday.

The last time a giant squid washed ashore was in 1896 in the US state of Florida.

Scientists examined and photographed the remains and took samples to send to laboratories in France, Italy and the United States for study, said Elsa Cabrera, a center official.

Italian zoologist Lorenzo Rossi, a specialist in marine fauna, said after receiving photographs that the squid is similar to the the one found in the United States, Cabrera said.

Veterinarian Veronica Altoyo said there are clear similarities of skin, color and body shape between the two specimens.

Chilean scientists also have requested information on the specimen found in Florida from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

 

[Demogorgon]

I see you have found one of *our* minions. No doubt his ineptitude led to his discovery. No worries. We have many more...

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Guess the life-span on one of those things

 

[Methinkus]

Just the image i hope to encounter right before i go to sleep tonight.

Pleasant dreams for me.

 

[Malicene]

12 meters ! not so big !!
Scientist have found scares on Whale, based on "tendrils" size they calculate 150 meters long squid !!

bigger things hidden in the sea !!!
perhaps a door to Riley !!

 

[The Iron Mark]

Yeah, but that's just the remains. It could be that most of that length is head, which means that when living it could have been MUCH larger. And when I first saw this article, they weren't sure what kind of creature it was. Some had speculated that it was a giant octopus.

 

[Aaron L]

Star Spawn.

 

[s/LaSH]

Hm. At least it doesn't seem to be the (larger, capable of surviving out of the abysses, flesh-rending) colossal squid found in New Zealand waters a couple of months ago (also reported here). Fear the molluscs.

Just goes to show, R'lyeh really is just off our coast, just like Lovecraft wrote all those years ago...

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

LINK

There's an error here. The last giant squid washed up in 1896? No... giant squids wash up all the time down around Australia and New Zealand. The last specimen of Octopus giganteus Verrill washed up in 1896.

BTW, they've found for some reason that Antarctic-area seas (which includes much of the S Pacific) can support much bigger varieties of even common sea life.