Page 104 - World of Animals - Book of Sharks & Ocean Predators

Sharks & Ocean Predators
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Battle of

the deep

The underwater war between the
Rugged sucker scars
giant squid and sperm whale Many sperm whales have been
found with battle scars from the
With the clash of two gigantic ocean-dwelling beasts, giant squid – their toothy suckers
you might expect resulting tidal waves. However, this is leave circular marks on the
one grudge match that happens almost entirely in secret. whales’ bodies. Sometimes these
Sperm whales are partial to a giant-squid supper, but the are the size of dinner plates.
tentacled titans of the deep refuse to go down without
a fight. In the murky blackness beneath the waves, away

from human eyes, these amazing and all-too-elusive
marine monsters battle it out for survival.

Indigestible parts
The only part of the
squid that the whale
cannot eat is the beak.
These have often been
Searching for found left in the bellies
of whales.
a giant squid

Name: Dr Edith Widder Organisation: CEO &
senior scientist, Ocean Research & Conservation The food of choice
Association, Inc. Sperm whales feed on other, smaller
On 3 July 2012, Dr Widder was varieties of squid, so it’s thought
among the first to witness the the giant squid is a supplementary

giant squid in its natural habitat bonus to a whale’s diet.
“Initially we just saw its arms,
which seemed to be waving in
front of the camera. My lure had
attracted it. It came in from the
back or the side as it probed

around the lure, trying to find something edible.
“It was thrilling on many levels – first because so

many before had tried and failed [to spot one] – but

also because it was confirmation of something I’ve
been saying for quite a while now: that I think we
have been exploring the deep sea the wrong way.
Our use of ROVs [remote operated underwater
vehicles] with bright lights and noisy thrusters have
been scaring animals away.
“With feeding tentacles fully extended, the giant
squid can be as tall as a four-storey house. It’s A size match
incredible that there are animals that big living in A sperm whale can grow up to Battle at depth
the ocean – probably millions of them judging by the 18 metres (59 feet) in length and Sperm whales are known to dive to
number of giant squid beaks found in sperm whale the giant squid is an adequate around 1,980 metres (6,500 feet) into
stomachs – and we’ve never seen one alive. How competitor, with strong tentacles the dark realms of the giant squid,
many more creatures inhabit our deep oceans that that stretch the squid’s body up to meaning these battles take place in
we don’t even know about yet?”
12 metres (43 feet). very deep water.

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