The Hunt for Giant Squid

摘要

As you read this, a scientific mini-Varmada armed with sophisticated detection equipment is plumbing the waters of a New Zealand undersea canyon to tease out the secrets of two of the ocean's most inscrutable creatures: the giant squid and the sperm whale. Observing live giant squid in their natural habitat—the Holy Grail of the squid quest—would be the ultimate payoff of this or any similar expedition, since not one giant squid has ever been captured alive or even seen underwater. Some dead animals have been found in nets or washed ashore, though, and there have been violent encounters with ships, like an 1861 attack that was adapted by Jules Verne for his novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.