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Title: Dancing with Demons (Humbolt Squid)
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Published: Mar 4, 2007
Author: Scott Cassell
Post Date: 2007-03-04 23:09:54 by tom007
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Views: 293
Comments: 1
Dancing with Demons Print | Email 15 December 2005 By Scott Cassell Email Bio The arid peninsula of Baja California has only known man for a brief tick of the Earth’s vast lifetime clock. Looking upon the harsh landscape of sharp-steep Mountains, ancient lava flows, sparse fresh water and blowing, burning sands, it was not meant for man. Only within the last millennia has man developed rudimentary technologies that facilitate his fragile presence there. The Sea Of Cortez is the lair of diverse and incredible creatures; some so great, so powerful, so lethal, they have spawned legends. Some have even been called demons. ADRIFT AGAIN Huge clouds full of blue and silver are streaked with yellow and pink as the sun dances fire red rays along the entire western skyline. A sunset that dreams are made of shocked the sky in silent testimony of the magnificence of this place. Once again, I am adrift on the desert sea…. The sea was calm and the air was warm. The sound of water tickling the hull of the Panga was calming yet playful. This afternoon and evening would expose me to an event that would change my life and I somehow knew it. The feeling of anticipation like waiting to open Christmas presents began to grip my heart. I know I must have been smiling to myself because the Pangaderos were smiling at me. Mind you, when I gear up to dive with Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) alone, the Pangaderos normally look at me with fear and concern. Several Pangaderos have told me I will not survive the dive. “Nice…” But, at that moment, a memory of a wonder swept over me. It was the memory of when I first heard the legend of these magnificent squid. A legend based on a story that would change the course of my life; a story that haunts me to this very day. THE LEGEND About 10 years ago, I was filming gray whales at San Ignacio Lagoon. Windy beaches with a desolate air of magic and mystery. Around a fire ring I overheard two older Mexican fishermen talking about ‘calamar gigante.’ The following is the story just as it was told to me that incredible night. Legend Of The Diablo Rojo (Red Demon/Devil) “It was a clear starry night in October years ago. My father and I were fishing for calamar gigante. The squid were unusually large this night, nearly as big as a man. My father said we must be careful of the Diablo Rojo this night. These are the giant squid, the Demons. When the squid reach this size, they are no longer just squid, but become demons… killers of men. After some time of fishing we had many big squid in our boat and started back for land. As we began our journey home I saw a Panga ahead so we went to see who it was. As we neared the Panga I noticed no one was on board and it was adrift. Concerned, we pulled along side to find out who's Panga it was. I boarded the drifting Panga and found it was nearly full of still dying calamar. It was then I noticed something strange on the side of the boat. As I looked closer, I noticed human fingernails were embedded into the wooden edge of the side rail. Traces of blood outlined a man's handprint. The terror of what happened hit me. This fisherman was pulling up a large calamar, but there was a large demon feeding on it. You see, they are fierce and they even eat each other when caught. When the fisherman reached into the water to pull it in, the Diablo Rojo grabbed him and pulled him into the water. Somehow the man grabbed onto his boat. He tried to get back in, but the Red Demon attacked him and began eating him alive. The man held on for a long time during the struggle before he was finally ripped off and dragged into the deep. He was devoured alive by the Red Demon. He was my father's life long friend.” After spending more time in the water with Giant Humboldt squid than anyone else in the world, (over 300 dives), I have come to know them in ways I never expected, as individuals. Although, I have probably not seen the same animal twice on more than one dive, but they are in fact personable, each having unique traits. When I see Dosidicus gigas come into view, I have the same rush of impressions, every time. Speed. Grace. Lethality. Intelligence. Mortality. Their eyes draw your attention quickly. They look at you. Understand, they look at YOU. They follow your every movement, studying you in an effort to catalogue you either as prey or threat. However, the stare seems even more intense that that. I have long felt they look at you with true curiosity. They seem to wonder what you actually are.Squid The beak of a Dosidicus gigas is large and very powerful. The edges are assharp as trauma shears and are capable of gouging out an orange-sized chunk of flesh, regardless of tissue make up. I have seen a five-foot Dosidicus gigas bite through the thick bone of a tuna head, skull and all, with minimal effort removing fist-sized portions with each bite. To hold their prey item firmly, this squid has about 2,000 suction disks; each lined with chitenous ring teeth. Chitin is a material similar to that of fingernails and that of beetle exoskeletons (A polysaccharide). These chitenous ring teeth are needle sharp and very effective. Every suction disk has up to 36 of these teeth. That means a Humboldt squid employs as many as 72,000 teeth upon its hapless victims. Prey has little chance of escaping a Humboldt squid’s deadly embrace. What is probably the most visually striking characteristic of the Dosidicus gigas are the chromatophores. These skin cells are transparent when contracted, allowing the bright white muscle tissue below to be clearly seen. When these cells are spread open, their deep red pigmentation completely covers the white muscle. Incredibly, each chromatophore is linked directly to the brain by the largest axons in the animal kingdom. That means Dosidicus gigas can ‘think’ his color and pattern change instantly. Their ability to change color from bright white to deep red can happen in one frame of film. That is 1 / 30th of a second! Most engrossing, however, is the complexity of the patterns, speed of change and densities of color saturation. It is so complex it has been called a ‘language’. Although I do not completely subscribe to the idea of Dosidicus gigas has the intellect for a true language, it is clearly a complex communication. After all, it is thought that Dosidicus gigas only live for 400 to 500 days. That means that these magnificent animals, in just 1 ½ years, begin life as plankton (the size of a sesame seed), and grow to full size of more than eight feet long! With such an enormous growth rate, it is easy to see why they are so aggressive to feed. And aggressive they are. Aggressive… Yet smart. Rest of article http://www.deeperblue.net/article.php/696/%200/7
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This was as far as I could go before formatting (no papagraphs) became a problem. Pretty intersting story, if you like squid stories.
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