...anyone check out this story?
http://www.msnbc.com/news/933992.asp
Giant sea specimen baffles scientists
First thought to be whale skin, it could be huge octopus
The mystery specimen found on Chile's coast is measured last Sunday by Center for Cetacean Conservation members.
MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
SANTIAGO, Chile, July 2 ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â A huge, gelatinous sea creature found washed up on Chileââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s coast has stumped scientists, who have sent samples to a specialist in France for help in identifying the mystery specimen. The blob was mistaken for a beached whale when first reported last week, but experts who went to see it said the 40-foot-long mass of decomposing lumpy gray flesh apparently was an invertebrate.
ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œWEââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢D NEVER before seen such a strange specimen, we donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t know if it might be a giant octopus that is missing some of its parts or maybe itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a new species,ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ said Elsa Cabrera, director of the Center for Cetacean Conservation in Santiago.
The round substance looks like a mammoth jelly fish and is about as long as a school bus.
Giant octopus live at a depth of up to 9,500 feet and only rise to the surface when they die. Specimens have been known to be as long as 30 feet.
WHALE SKIN?
There was speculation that the mass might be a whale skin, but Cabrera said it was too big and did not have the right texture or smell.
Steve Webster, senior marine biologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, wasnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t ready to rule that out, at least based on the photo and limited information he has read.
If the texture is leathery, he said, ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œI would opt more for whale skin ... the rotted, separated skin of a blue, sei or fin whale could easily be this size.ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚Â
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ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œIn addition,ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ he said, ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œat least 50 percent to 80 percent of the length of a giant squid or octopus is arms and tentacles, not the body. From what I can see in the picture, this is one big mass of tissue, and is not divided into what might be arms or tentacles.ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚Â
The Chilean Navy first spotted the mystery specimen along with another large mass near Puerto Montt, in southern Chile, but the latter turned out to be a dead humpback whale.
GIANT OCTOPUS OR PLANKTON?
Cabreraââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s group sent samples to French specialist Michel Raynal. The center contacted him and his initial impression was that it is a giant octopus, Cabrera told MSNBC.com.
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A review of literature found only one other specimen of a similar shape and size, Cabrera said, and that was found on a Florida beach in 1896. University of Southern Florida scientists a few years ago said tissue analysis showed that the specimen was whale skin, not a giant octopus.
Cabrera noted the Chilean specimen is bigger than what was found in 1896, measuring about 40 feet long, 18 feet wide, and three feet tall at its highest point.
Webster raised the possibility that ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œif the blob is really gelatinous, and not particularly tough and leathery,ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ then it could be whatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s known as a pyrosome ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â a colony of millions of plankton that can grow to up to 60 feet long.
He said that genetic analysis of the tissue should reveal some clues to identify the specimen.
ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œIf this were just the head and body of a squid or octopus,ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ he added, ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œthen it appears to be far larger than any such critter known to date.ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚Â
....whoa! Maybe those old stories of sailors and seamonsters
weren't just fairy tales!
http://www.msnbc.com/news/933992.asp
Giant sea specimen baffles scientists
First thought to be whale skin, it could be huge octopus
The mystery specimen found on Chile's coast is measured last Sunday by Center for Cetacean Conservation members.
MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
SANTIAGO, Chile, July 2 ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â A huge, gelatinous sea creature found washed up on Chileââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s coast has stumped scientists, who have sent samples to a specialist in France for help in identifying the mystery specimen. The blob was mistaken for a beached whale when first reported last week, but experts who went to see it said the 40-foot-long mass of decomposing lumpy gray flesh apparently was an invertebrate.
ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œWEââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢D NEVER before seen such a strange specimen, we donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t know if it might be a giant octopus that is missing some of its parts or maybe itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a new species,ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ said Elsa Cabrera, director of the Center for Cetacean Conservation in Santiago.
The round substance looks like a mammoth jelly fish and is about as long as a school bus.
Giant octopus live at a depth of up to 9,500 feet and only rise to the surface when they die. Specimens have been known to be as long as 30 feet.
WHALE SKIN?
There was speculation that the mass might be a whale skin, but Cabrera said it was too big and did not have the right texture or smell.
Steve Webster, senior marine biologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, wasnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t ready to rule that out, at least based on the photo and limited information he has read.
If the texture is leathery, he said, ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œI would opt more for whale skin ... the rotted, separated skin of a blue, sei or fin whale could easily be this size.ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚Â
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ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œIn addition,ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ he said, ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œat least 50 percent to 80 percent of the length of a giant squid or octopus is arms and tentacles, not the body. From what I can see in the picture, this is one big mass of tissue, and is not divided into what might be arms or tentacles.ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚Â
The Chilean Navy first spotted the mystery specimen along with another large mass near Puerto Montt, in southern Chile, but the latter turned out to be a dead humpback whale.
GIANT OCTOPUS OR PLANKTON?
Cabreraââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s group sent samples to French specialist Michel Raynal. The center contacted him and his initial impression was that it is a giant octopus, Cabrera told MSNBC.com.
Environment news
Keep up with environment news: MSNBC's special section is updated regularly
ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¢ Click here to bookmark Environment News
A review of literature found only one other specimen of a similar shape and size, Cabrera said, and that was found on a Florida beach in 1896. University of Southern Florida scientists a few years ago said tissue analysis showed that the specimen was whale skin, not a giant octopus.
Cabrera noted the Chilean specimen is bigger than what was found in 1896, measuring about 40 feet long, 18 feet wide, and three feet tall at its highest point.
Webster raised the possibility that ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œif the blob is really gelatinous, and not particularly tough and leathery,ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ then it could be whatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s known as a pyrosome ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â a colony of millions of plankton that can grow to up to 60 feet long.
He said that genetic analysis of the tissue should reveal some clues to identify the specimen.
ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œIf this were just the head and body of a squid or octopus,ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ he added, ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œthen it appears to be far larger than any such critter known to date.ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚Â
....whoa! Maybe those old stories of sailors and seamonsters
weren't just fairy tales!
