CREDIT: OSCAR SORIANO
No one has yet managed to capture a picture of a living giant squid. Most die from rapid pressure change when fishers accidentally pull them up from their deep-water homes. But next fall, a team of Spanish scientists hopes to film this rare cephalopod, which can reach lengths of up to 20 meters. The Spanish Research Council team will operate 30 km off Spain's northwest coast, equipped with more sophisticated gear than in two earlier failed forays--including a submersible and rotatable cameras planted on subsurface buoys.
There is a "huge scientific interest" in watching a living specimen, says zoologist Oscar Soriano. One mystery that a squid flick could solve: how fast the animals move. Because they burn proteins rather than fats for energy, they should have slow metabolisms and therefore be slow movers, he says. But fast tentacle action is suggested by the type of fish found in one squid's stomach.
