New giant squid predator found

[Lionel]

A little known shark that lives in waters off Antarctica is only the second creature known to science that hunts giant squid for food. Sleeper sharks even appear to target the biggest species of large squid - the colossal squid, which is about double the size of the shark. The huge sperm whale was previously the only animal thought to rely on giant and colossal squid for food. Details of the study are featured in the journal Deep Sea Research. When French marine biologists opened the stomachs of 36 sleeper sharks accidentally killed by trawlers, they collected the remains of at least 49 colossal squid and eight giant squid. The research was conducted by Yves Cherel, of the Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chize in Villiers-en-Bois, France, and Guy Duhamel of the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris. The sleeper sharks were caught in the Southern Ocean in waters off the Kerguelen island archipelago.

Giant squid (Architeuthis dux) and their even bigger relatives colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) are amongst the most mysterious and fascinating creatures in the ocean.

View: Full Article | Source: BBC News