There are some pretty amazing animals living in the world's water systems. Over the last couple of years, one in particular has been in the public eye off the west coast of the Americas, from Central America to Alaska. This invertebrate is a beautiful but very dangerous squid known commonly as the Humboldt squid or "Red Devil."
The Humboldt Squid is numbered third among the largest squid species, just under the Giant Squid and the Colossal Squid. Averaging sizes up to 6' long and 100 lbs, they are formidable animals to encounter (encounters are not recommended). They are also famous for their aggression, which is what earned them the nickname "red devils" from the Mexican fisherman who fish them in the shrimping off-season. Their skin changes color rapidly, from white to red. Some scientists believe that they use this as a tool to communicate, and perhaps even coordinate an attack on a larger animal. Their tentacles are covered with suckers, and the suckers themselves are lined with small barbs to secure their hold on their prey. Not the best guest to your pool party.
They have also been known to leap out of water and "glide" for yards at a time to avoid predators like sharks and sperm whales.
Beyond that, little is known about them. They spend much of their lives in water too deep for divers to penetrate; we know nothing of their reproductive habits or even the size of their population. What scientists have been watching closely is the expansion of their territory. In years past, they've remained in the Humboldt current off the coast of South America (for which they are named). Over the past few years, they have been sighted as far north as Alaska, prompting concern for the impact they'll have on the local fish population.
Some theorize that climate change has impacted -and expanded- their range. Another popular theory is that overfishing of their predators has given them a free reign of the west coast of North and South America. Of particular concern is the extreme overfishing of sharks, with some shark species showing a 90% population decrease from the pressures of the shark finning industry. As lovely as these squid can be, they could wreak havoc in environments not intended to sustain them.
What can you do? Get involved! Help stop shark finning, and raise awareness of shark overfishing and illegal whaling activities by flexing your political muscle and bringing these issues to public awareness. To learn more about the Humbolt squid and its' cephalopod cousins, you can check out this website created by Dr. James wood of the Waikiki Aquarium: www.thecephalopodpage.org.
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| discovermagazine.com |
They have also been known to leap out of water and "glide" for yards at a time to avoid predators like sharks and sperm whales.
Beyond that, little is known about them. They spend much of their lives in water too deep for divers to penetrate; we know nothing of their reproductive habits or even the size of their population. What scientists have been watching closely is the expansion of their territory. In years past, they've remained in the Humboldt current off the coast of South America (for which they are named). Over the past few years, they have been sighted as far north as Alaska, prompting concern for the impact they'll have on the local fish population.
Some theorize that climate change has impacted -and expanded- their range. Another popular theory is that overfishing of their predators has given them a free reign of the west coast of North and South America. Of particular concern is the extreme overfishing of sharks, with some shark species showing a 90% population decrease from the pressures of the shark finning industry. As lovely as these squid can be, they could wreak havoc in environments not intended to sustain them.
What can you do? Get involved! Help stop shark finning, and raise awareness of shark overfishing and illegal whaling activities by flexing your political muscle and bringing these issues to public awareness. To learn more about the Humbolt squid and its' cephalopod cousins, you can check out this website created by Dr. James wood of the Waikiki Aquarium: www.thecephalopodpage.org.
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