Squidvasion! Update: Check Your Facts!
As Dr. M at Deep-Sea News deftly points out…
The Giant Squid (Architeuthis dux) and the Humboldt Squid (Dosidicus gigas) are two very different animals. So, no matter what many in the media are reporting, thousands of Giant Squids did not wash ashore after an earthquake, and Giant Squid are not invading the waters off Southern California.
Squid Fail indeed.
Tags: architeuthis, Dosidicus, giant squid, Humboldt Squid, jumbo squid, squidvasion!
I was in fact wondering about this. Thanks for clearing the water on the misunderstanding. But am I correct that the Humboldt Squid is still known as the red devil because of its tendency of aggression? Or is that another carry over misapplied from Architeuthis?
Yes, the Humboldt is also known as the Red Devil (also known as the Jumbo and Jumbo Flying (!!!) Squid). They are really aggressive, and quite large–but not nearly as big as Architeuthis. Incidentally, no one really knows how aggressive Giant Squid are. Sperm whales often bear sucker scars, but they are almost certainly the instigator of any squid vs whale battles. In other words, whales hunt squid, not vice versa.