THE INCREDIBLE GLASS SQUID

One small group of very strange squid prowls the mid-depths where light levels are very weak and being spotted by sea lions or toothed whales means a certain death. To avoid detection the glass squids ('cranch' squids) have learned to become invisible.

Most of the 60 species are transparent giving them their name. Some even have light organs to cancel out shadows cast by their eyes. Their digestive glands are visible but usually held vertically to cast the smallest shadow.

Some eyes are small and circular but a few species have eyes like ‘telescopes’ that can be extended away from the body. Scientists have no explanation for the telescopic eyes.

Most glass squid are small with rounded bodies but one species, the Colossal Squid, is the largest of all squid species reaching 14 metres in length and 500 kg.

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Who Has the Biggest---?

I know you have all been wondering. It's the question we all ask.

Who has the biggest-----?

The Giant Squid has the biggest eyes of any living animal with a maximum diameter of 40-50 centimetres. The eyes of the larger but very rare Colossal Squid may be even bigger. There are so few Colossal Squid specimens that we really can't be sure.

The Wandering Albatross is truly a marine animal, spending most of its life at sea. It has the largest wingspan of any bird measured at 3.63 metres (tip to tip).

 

 The tiny barnacle attached to seashore rocks has the largest penis relative to its body size.

The largest and heaviest brain belongs to the Sperm Whale. It weighs about 9 kilograms in a large adult. Lucky for us with smaller brains, intelligence and brain weight are not closely related.

The vampire squid has the largest eyes of any animal relative to the size of its body.

The largest heart belongs to the blue whale at 600 kg and up to 900 kg in very large individuals.

For more cool facts about life in the ocean, check out other posts on this blog site.


http://youngmarinescientist.blogspot.com/
http://geraldgoeden.blogspot.com/
http://goedensnews.blogspot.com/
http://goedenquotes.blogspot.com/
http://goedenmarineecology.blogspot.com/
http://gerryquotes.blogspot.com/
http://einsteinsnature.blogspot.com/
 http://underwaterinternet.blogspot.com/ 
 http://goedenshark.blogspot.com/
http://gerrygoeden.blogspot.com/
http://drgerrygoeden.blogspot.com/