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Learning English - Words in the News 28 September, 2005 - Published 15:42 GMT Scientists find giant squid | ||||||||||||
Japanese researchers have taken the first pictures of a live giant squid. Photographs taken by a scientific expedition suggest that the animal was eight metres across and fed 900 metres under the sea. This report from Pallab Ghosh (voiced by Jackie Dalton). Until now there's been no photographic evidence of living giant squids. But scientists have known of their existence from the remains of dead specimens that have been washed up onto the shore. The largest of these have measured 18 metres across! They've been hard to capture on film because they live so far under the sea. It's perhaps this mystery that has helped make these creatures part of seafaring folklore. They've been portrayed as monsters of the deep that fight with sperm whales and overturn vessels. These first ever images should therefore shed some light on what the giant squid is really like. Initial findings suggest that although these tales may have been exaggerated, the giant squid is fierce and fast moving. The pictures show that they use their long tentacles to envelop sea creatures in much the same way that pythons coil around their prey. photographic evidence of living giant squids remains of dead specimens washed up onto the shore hard to capture on film seafaring folklore portrayed as monsters of the deep shed some light on although these tales may have been exaggerated tentacles pythons coil around their prey Do a comprehension test about this story |
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