Scott Cassel is an American explorer, filmmaker, and animal activist. When he did some documentary about gray whales in the Gulf of California (the Sea of Cortez) he was once attacked by a Humboldt Squid, an animal whose beak is as big a man's hand. For most people, the word "squid" probably conjures images of deep-fried appetizers, not flesh-eating carnivores. Although in american cousine it is made into 'squid steaks'. They are most commonly found at depths of 660 to 2,300 ft, from Tierra del Fuego to California. This species is spreading north into the waters of the Pacific Northwest, in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. They have a reputation for aggression toward humans, although this behavior may only occur during feeding times. But the truth is, Humboldt squid have approximately 1200 sucker discs, each one lined with 20 to 26 needle-sharp teeth. This allows the Humboldt to attack its prey with more than 24000 teeth at once. And nestled in its bed of eight muscular arms and two feeding tentacles is a disproportionately large, knife-edged beak similar to a parrot's. But the Humboldt is much larger than a parrot: they have been found as large as 14 feet in length and weighting more than 270 kilograms. In addition to the Humboldt's enormity and impressive array of weapons, this magnificent mollusk possesses a legendary ferocity. The local Mexican fishermen call it Rojo Diablo and Calamar gigante. "One particular moment I will never forget occurred during the first dive of the scouting expedition. Not wanting to endanger my crew, I decided to perform the first dive alone, tethered to the support boat. The crew was to stay on deck to tend my cable and pull me up in the event of trouble. As I was about to go over the side of the boat, my Mexican guide touched my arm and stared into my eyes. Although he didn't say a word, his face said it all. He thought I was going to die. He believed the Humboldts were going to devour me, armor and all. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, I patted him on the shoulder, smiled, and continued into the water for the first time. As soon as I hit the water I rolled onto my stomach and checked my rebreather's function. Next, I rolled upright and reached for my camera system, but as soon as my ears were above the water I could hear the crew yelling to me: 'They are right underneath you, look out!' A surge of excitement and dread filled me as I looked down past my fins. There were more than 20 giant squid right below me - not even ten feet away! Ranging in length from five to six feet, they hovered nearby just looking at me, studying me..My splash entry was like ringing a dinner bell. Suddenly, about 10 squid began to move in for a closer look. As they neared, they flashed from white to pink to bright red then back to white, all within a split second. It was beautiful! They looked like animals from another planet, totally unearthly. As I floated there transfixed, a large squid moved to within two feet and flashed again. Mesmerized by the strobe effect, I didn't see that another squid was rushing in from my left. Bam! It hit me with a tentacular strike that felt like being hit with a baseball bat square in the ribs. Shocked by the power of the strike and unable to breathe because of a cramp in my chest, I turned to see what had hit me and saw four more squid headed toward me. The first came in so fast that I could barely track it with the camera, and then Bam again! It struck the camera, which in turn struck me in the face. I was starting to feel like I was in a barroom brawl....After five attacks of equal ferocity, the magnificent monsters decided I was inedible and had no further use for me. With a few blasts from their massive jet funnels, they disappeared into the depths within seconds. Dazed and excited, I realized the entire ordeal lasted less than one minute. After dangling in the water for 30 minutes looking for any signs of their return, I surfaced and climbed into the boat. I later discovered bruises on me the size of oranges, as well as several scratches in my anti-squid armor suit." After this incident, Scott improved his suit against squid attacks. Despite their impressive size, intimidating appearance and ferocious nature, most likely squids will not be able to inflict mortal wounds on an adult. However, it would still be better to stay away from them. It's a predator!
#survivalstories #scottcassell #shortdocumentary
0:00 Scott Cassell
0:16 Meeting with Giant Squid
0:30 What is a Humboldt Squid
2:20 Scott Cassell's home video
5:05 After the incident
26 июн 2024
