The Kraken
By:Austin Sibley
Introduction
Imagine yourself as any animal in the whole ocean; shark, eel, crab, jellyfish,... wait; what about the most important organism? Teuthoidea Cephalopoda, (also know as the squid.) is one of the most diverse organisms in the whole ocean. Some of its most amazing factors are its complex body structure and appearance, movement, and its deliciously interesting diet. This tentacled beast is a truly magnificent animal; my favorite species is the giant squid.
Body Structure and Appearance
The squid probably has the most groundbreaking body structure and appearance in the whole deep. For example, the giant squid is an average of 33 feet long and 700 pounds. Also, the giant squid has eyes the size of beach balls. This helps it see in dark trenches where night vision goggles would do no good. It’s hard to believe, but every species has three hearts; they will almost never die. It has ten tentacles; eight an average size and two very long for catching prey. In addition to this, they have a very squishy body for squeezing into tight spaces. As you can see, the squid has a very unique appearance.
Movement
This animal is literally a torpedo flying through the water. It propels itself by drawing in water through its mantle and squirting it out the back like a rocket. This is a very unique example of the squids one of a kind movement. An illustration of this is having a propulsion system built into your body. The squid has the ability to form a cloud of ink just like its cousin the octopus. An alternative to the “torpedo” movement is when this animal claps its tentacles together which makes pressure that forces the animal forward. This depth-dwelling organism will sometimes crawl its way into cracks in rock for shelter. All species of squid have a unique way of moving. They all “torpedo”, “clap”, and crawl all over, they are truly complex.
Diet
This organism likes to eat many different things; with their long, suction-cup filled tentacles the possibilities are endless. Some of the squid’s favorites are fish, shrimp, shellfish, and even other squid. The colossal and giant squid have also been known to eat small whales. Did you know that an average ten out of ten animals that eat squid have not been able to fully digest the beak, this shows that the beak is almost as strong as titanium. The colossal squid (biggest squid) squeezes its prey with its tentacles until it dies, just like a python or boa constrictor. This animal is a carnivore and will only eat meat. All species of this ocean giant have spikes in between each sucker for grasping prey. Baby squid eat plankton and many other small organisms. Also, this animal has a tongue that is almost like a grinder. Judging by these facts, the squid has an interesting diet.
Closing
Squid Quiz
Decipher The Depth Dweller
Comic
Go Fish
Exactly 20 gallons, 13 fish, a budget of $250.00, and $249.94 spent. All of these factors show the perfect fish tank. At first I thought I only needed $31.47 to spend on fish but soon I changed this to $117.61. With this amount of money I bought 1 Blue Hepatus Tang, 4 Margarita Snails, 1 Copperband Butterfly Fish, 1 Picasso Trigger, 5 Neon Tetras, and 1 Red Leg Hermit Crab. I used the remaining $132.39 on decor and required supplies. A funny thing that happened is when I was thinking about buying a Tassalata Eel. Until I realized that they are 7 feet long! This activity was fun and enjoyable and I hope to do it again.
Diorama
2.Parrot Fish
3.Crab
4.Sea Snake
5.Clam
6.Starfish
7.Coral
8.Sea Anenome
9.Sea Urchin
10.Portuguese Man o' War