Jumbo squid live at depths of at least 650 feet, so humans have rarely had contact with them. We still know little about them, although the first specimen was landed 3 years ago, and a larger (colossal) specimen followed last month. Ignorance, it seems, has been bliss. These things are flesh-sucking monsters, as this account of a diver’s life-and-death battle with several squid propelling themselves at him at speeds up to 25 miles per hour and grabbing at his exposed flesh with their “tooth-lined tentacles” and “raptor-like beaks” makes all too clear. Unfortunately, though, the squid are showing signs of making Northern California’s waters their own. Once there, they will likely attack more divers and devour the catch of the day at many regional fisheries.
A result of human-caused climate change? We don’t know enough about the animals to know, which just proves the point that nature is way too complicated to f-ck with.
