. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. ^ * ft :4f stffc A n. From the window of the Nautilus, a giant squid It swam backward toward the "Nautilus" and at great speed, watching us the while with its huge staring green eyes. Its eight arms (or rather, feet) were twice as long as its body and twisted like the snakes in the Furies' hair. . The monster's mouth, a horned beak like a parrot's, opened and shut ver- tically. Its tongue was of horn sub- stance and furnished with several rows of pointed teeth. It came forth quivering from this v
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. ^ * ft :4f stffc A n. From the window of the Nautilus, a giant squid It swam backward toward the "Nautilus" and at great speed, watching us the while with its huge staring green eyes. Its eight arms (or rather, feet) were twice as long as its body and twisted like the snakes in the Furies' hair. . The monster's mouth, a horned beak like a parrot's, opened and shut ver- tically. Its tongue was of horn sub- stance and furnished with several rows of pointed teeth. It came forth quivering from this veritable pair of shears. What a freak of nature it seemed, a bird's beak on a mollusk!—Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea "It was an immense cuttlefish," writes Jules Verne. But modern biology would identify this freakish creature, trying its best to devour the Nautilus, as a giant squid. And indeed, the yarns of mariners and the literature of poets and writers throughout the ages are pep- pered with accounts of the giant squid— often endowed with a ferocious nature and the strength to pull large vessels beneath the waves. While writers and mariners enhanced the size, ferocity and abilities of the squid, the real life and biology of the squid may be stranger than fiction. Af- ter all, the squid possesses eyes like a Continued on next page. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original UNC Sea Grant College Program. [Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program]
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
