squids: Related Content

  • Laysan albatross with a chick.

    Laysan Albatross with a Chick

    The Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) breeds mainly in Hawaii and other Pacific islands where male and female pairs will incubate their egg for nine weeks. The pair participates in an elaborate courtship dance where movements and noises bond them together for the rest of their lives. After breeding season is over the birds move north and west towards Japan and Alaska.

  • Bioluminescent Animals Photo Gallery

    Bioluminescence is one of the more captivating adaptations that have evolved in marine animals. It's the ability of organisms to create and emit light. Dive underwater and you may witness lightshows of red, green, and blue. Chemical reactions release energy that produces the light. Many species use it to communicate; some use it to lure their next meal; and others emit light to ward off predators.

  • So You Think You're Smarter Than a Cephalopod?

    The blanket octopus can rip a poisonous tentacle from a Portuguese man-o-war and wield it like a sword to ward off enemies as it soars through the ocean trailing its webbed cloak behind it.

  • Tamie Gray DeWitt with a Giant Pacific Octopus

    Tamie Gray DeWitt with a Giant Pacific Octopus

    Tamie Gray DeWitt is a Museum Specialist at the National Zoo's Invertebrate House where she works with cephalopods like the giant Pacific octopus as well as other animals.

  • Clyde Roper: Squid Hunter - Architeuthis

    Dr. Clyde Roper recounts the tale of his encounter with a giant squid specimen (Architeuthis dux) that was found washed up on a Massachusetts beach in this excerpt from "Eyeball to Eyeball," an episode of Errol Morris' First Person television series.  After the giant squid was found, it was transported back to the Smithsonian’s national collections in Washington, DC.

  • Clyde Roper On the Over-Sized Anatomy of the Giant Squid

    Dr. Clyde Roper discusses the fascinating anatomy of the giant squid (Architeuthis dux) in this excerpt of "Eyeball to Eyeball," an episode of Errol Morris' First Person television series.

  • Clyde Roper: Squid Hunter - Eyeball to Eyeball

    Dr. Clyde Roper, squid expert, explains how he developed a passionate interest in the giant squid (Architeuthis dux) in this excerpt of "Eyeball to Eyeball," an episode of Errol Morris' First Person television series.  Roper, fueled by his early beginnings as a lobster fisherman off the coast of New Hampshire, has dedicated his career to studying these fascinating squids from the depths of the ocean.

  • Giant Squid: One Species at a Time

    How do you get two dead Giant Squid the size of a school bus from a fishing boat in Spain to Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.? Call in the U.S. Navy! In this episode of the One Species at a Time, find out how Operation Calamari unfolded and how the museum managed to put their new giant squid on display.

  • Published in 1882 by Yale Professor A.E. Verrill, this is the first scientific illustration of a giant squid.

    First Scientific Illustration of Giant Squid

    Published in 1882 by Yale Professor A.E. Verrill, this is the first scientific illustration of a giant squid. More about the giant squid can be found in the Giant Squid section.

  • In 1874, Reverend Moses Harvey of Newfoundland bought a dead giant squid caught by fishermen.

    Rev. Harvey Buys a Giant Squid

    In 1874, Reverend Moses Harvey of Newfoundland bought a dead giant squid caught by fishermen. More about the giant squid can be found in our Giant Squid featured story.

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