INTRODUCTION
Cephalopods belong to the Phylum Mollusca and are therefore related to the clams, mussels and snails. The name cephalopod means head-foot since the muscular foot of an ancestral mollusc has become the head in the Cephalopods.
Cephalopds include the largest and arguably most advanced of the invertebrates. Of the cephalopods the real giants are squid belonging to the genus Architeuthis. These giant squid have been the subject of considerable interest and speculation in popular literature, but the scarcity of whole specimens means that very little is known about their biology, distribution or systematics. Although commonly occurring in the diet of sperm whales giant squid are rarely caught in nets and only occasionally stranded on beaches.
Giant squid belong to the genus Architeuthis in the Family Architeuthidae. There are a number of different species described, including 6 in the North Atlantic, however it is likely that differences between specimens are intra-specific and there is probably just one species, Architeuthis dux, in the North Atlantic.
A review of giant squid stranded around the British Isles
A giant squid recently stranded near Aberdeen
How long do giant squid live?
E-mail Martin Collins with your comments on this page
How long do giant squid live?
E-mail Martin Collins with your comments on this page
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