National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientist off Louisiana's coast pulled up a giant squid from 1,500 feet deep, the first ever caught alive in the Gulf of Mexico.
Even though they one they caught was over 19 feet long they believe it to be a juvenile female of the species Architeuthis dux. It was caught in a net alive but was dead by the time it made the long journey from the ocean depths while over 100 miles out in 1500 feet of water. Few if any creatures can survive such drastic pressure changes.
The last time scientists got a giant squid from the gulf was in 1954 and that one was found floating dead on the water.
Sperm whales have been sighted off the Louisiana coast and NOAA was in the are to do research on them and other marine mammals that inhabit the gulf. This species of squid is a major food source for sperm whales. The capture of this squid gives some confirmation that the sperm whales that sometimes show up near the mouth of the Mississippi River are hear for this particular food. Similiar expeditions in the past have only turned up small fish and small squid.
