Questions:
1. The colossal squid is the planet’s largest squid, mollusc, and invertebrate (by mass) — yet it isn’t without its own predators. Based on a few studies, its top predator seems to be _____ ______, which is the earth’s largest toothed predator. They get their name from the oily substance filling their heads. Fill in the blanks.
2. Among squid species that live in similar waters, the colossal squid has an unusually high _________, as evidenced by the fact that a female can produce as many as 4.2 million oocytes. Fill in the blank with a term that denotes the reproductive capacity of a given species.
3. While other organisms of comparable mass living in a similar environment have X of size around 10 cm, the colossal squid has X that are around three-times as large, allowing it to detect predators more than 120 metres away. Name X, a common organ among animals.
4. Name the squid species that has been known to grow to even greater sizes than the colossal squid — up to 13 metres in one case — but is still lighter because most of its length is in its tentacles
.5. Scientists know that many species of animals dwelling in the deep sea are larger than shallow-water species to which they are related. What do zoologists call this phenomenon?
Visual:
Name the beast imaginatively depicted in this 1887 engraving by John Gibson, believed to be based on the sighting of a colossal squid. Credit: Public domain
Answers:
1. Sperm whales
2. Fecundity
3. Eyes
4. Giant squid
5. Abyssal gigantism
Visual: Kraken
Published – January 08, 2025 01:20 pm IST
