Talk:Giant squid/Archive 1

message: Giant Squids are sweet, and i'm pretty sure that they have the real ultimate power. 
Cephalopods in general are pretty sweet, too.
Thanks for having such a nice resource here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Atog (talk • contribs) 23:53, 18 April 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Giant Squids are sweet 

message: "... recent estimates put the maximum size at 10 m (33 ft) for males and 13 m (43 ft) for females ... However, there are reported claims of specimens of up to 20 m (66 ft), but none have been scientifically documented. ... A 17 m (55 ft) giant squid specimen washed ashore in Glover's Harbour, Newfoundland on November 2, 1878."
So does that last report not count as as scientifically documented, or what? —wwoods 17:59, 27 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Maximum size? 

message: I think it's almost certain that there is only one species of Giant Squid. Almost certain. I think it's almost impossible that there are eight species all living in specific zones of the world's oceans, or that there are eight species distributed such that the handful of specimens observed have happened to provide us with a representation of each one so well. No-one has ever even tried to suggest anything about color, habits, sucker size, length, mantle shape, beak size, eye diameter, or anything -- anything at all -- that is different in dux than in sanctipauli. Or said that there's an alelle on chromosome 12 that differs between kirkii and japoni. I think the list of species should be caveated pretty strongly. Certainly the idea that each of eight species are likely to be diverse enough and well enough understood to merit a separate article any time in the foreseeable future I find extremely hard to believe. So that's why I've changed that bit. Ben-w 07:59, 8 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Did you take a look at this PDF which lists all of the cephalopod species, and indicates their current status? It's where I got the markings I used in my previous edit to indicate species which are questionable. Please take a look and try to merge your recent edit with the markings and text I had in place. - UtherSRG (talk) 13:46, 8 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes, I have seen that document. It does an excellent job of listing the names of various people who saw a Giant Squid and where they were at the time. Again, if anyone can say what makes Arciteuthis martensi definitely a separate species, unquestionably, but A. kirkii not, I'd love to hear it. Is it a physical difference? No-one has suggested it is. Is it a difference of genotype? No-one has done the analysis. Is it a reproductive incompatability? Did someone try to breed A. martensi and A. dux and got mule squid? No. There is nothing. The literature is patchy and has thus allowed this list to become established and it should be repeated for this reason. But the list is not accepted by many teuthists, it has all the problems I have listed, no-one has attempted to address these problems, and thus I feel that the heavy caveating of the list is well-warranted. Ben-w 17:43, 8 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Taxonomy Redux

message: This section is getting a little bloated -- any objections to spinning it off as a separate article? Ben-w 02:08, 15 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I'm good with that. - UtherSRG (talk) 02:17, 15 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  Et voila. I sectioned it up a bit. Ben-w 01:23, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Squid in Culture

message: Is there anything here that we need to discuss further? If not, I think it would benefit the article if we started a new Talk: page. Ben-w 13:14, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Can we archive?