Edith Widder: How We Found the Giant Squid
The giant squid, a majestic and beautiful creature – or as a monster? it’s long captured the imaginations of people, since way back when we were kids and saw the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea film with Kirk Douglas, and James Mason as Captain Nemo—OK, sure, it might’ve interested a few people before then too.
In the TEDTalk above marine biologist Edith Widder discusses how her and a team of scientists were able to capture the giant squid on film for the first time in its natural habitat, back in 2012—she also describes the expedition and the technological innovations that led to the fantastic discovery.
Giant squid – also known also by their scientific name Architeuthis – have been the stuff of both legend and science for hundreds of years.
The team knew this was likely to be the last opportunity they had to search for the mythic creature, and on June 22nd, 2012, they boarded the Alucia and set off for six weeks afloat in the vast, blue sea.
Despite their massive size (adults can grow up to about 40 feet from tip to tentacle and weigh up to 610 pounds) searching for them has been a needle-in-a-haystack endeavor.
The question remains as to whether viewers will see the squid as majestic and beautiful, or as a monster.
Even the world’s foremost giant squid researchers know virtually nothing about the way the giant squid behaves in its natural habitat, so they were forced to guess at how to lure it in front of a camera.
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