Monday 29 March 2010

Animal & Environment: Humboldt Squid Invasion


We have talked about the killing of sharks and tunas in the previous entries, and how cruel it is to kill these amazing "policemen of the seas". Now by killing the sharks and tunas, humans are not only creating imbalance in the oceans but also creating big problems for ourselves.

Big fish such as sharks and tunas feed on squids, and because we are fishing so many of these big fish from the oceans, the squids are moving into the waters where the tunas and sharks used to live in.

http://banzibanzo.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/jumbo_squid1.jpg


And they are not just normal squids we are talking about, they are the Humboldt squids, and they are BIG!!! They are FIERCE!!! They reproduce in MILLIONS!!! And they are invading the waters and attacking the divers. I have put a few news at the bottom of this entry, go watch them and read them.


The Sea of Cortez of Mexico, is the Humboldt squid's breeding ground, but now, they are expanding along the West coast of America, destroying fish stocks and eating everything on their path, from southern Chile to Alaska.

They consume around 10% of their body weight every day and the bigger they get, the more they eat.

They also reproduce with amazing power. One female Humboldt reproduces 30-million eggs. Their squid eggs hatch in just 5 days, and in 10 days after fertilization, a baby squid is fully developed to start hunting. From the size of a rice, to a 5-foot-long adult -- as big as a fully-grown adult, it takes only 1 or 2 years.

Here is a program from the Discovery Channel for you guys to learn and practise your listening skills, Squid Invasion:

Squid Invasion 1/4


How Humboldt Squids spread in the American waters

Squid Invasion 2/4


How Sharks and Tunas are important to balancing the number of Humboldt Squids

Squid Invasion 3/4


Cases of Human Attacks 


Squid Invasion 4/4

Study of the chromatophores




Like a line I really like in Jurassic Park, "Nature finds its ways", and looks like this is really true. If you take away the sharks and the tunas, the Humboldt squids will give you a payback time on the fish's behalf. At the end of the Squid Invasion program I embedded above, the narrator said that there is no stopping the invasion. But I think there is, how about, stop killing the sharks and the tunas and start scientifically reproducing these fish and introduce them back into the sea so that they can go back and do their "police" job??





Vocabulary:


fertilization -- to cause an egg or seed to start to develop into a new young animal or plant by joining it with a male cell
payback time -- metaphorically, a revenge.




Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbolt_squid
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/03/animal-news-save-sharks-now.html
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/03/animal-news-save-bluefin-tuna-now_19.html
http://www.oceansaloft.com/portfolio/santa_rosilla_humboldt_squid.php

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AmazingAnimals/wireStory?id=7276140
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/02/tech/main6165328.shtml
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=8102059
http://banzibanzo.com/?p=400
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=8107704&page=1
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=8102059
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/07/25/jumbosquid_ani.html?category=animals&guid=20070725100030


http://www.yourdiscovery.com/web/shows/squid-invasion/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HfDRfeobHo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP1o7DP661U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ouS8-AXBN4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKVyySFtVM0

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=28522&dict=CALD&topic=animal-reproduction
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/results.asp?searchword=payback&x=0&y=0