1/6/2023 0 Comments Humboldt squids![]() ![]() The Humboldt Current is a northward flowing cold-water stream that forms a convergence zone in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The Humboldt squid is a 1.5 meter long, 100 pound carnivore that lives at depths of 200-1,000 meters, primarily in the productive waters of the Humboldt Current. The French naturalist Alcide d’Orbigny first described the Humboldt squid, Dosidicus gigas, also known as the jumbo squid, in 1834 (d’Orbigny named over thirty organisms and himself has several plant and animal species named after him). As a result, there are few high quality photos of the species in its habitat. The Humboldt squid lives at such depths and is fairly poorly studied. Throughout his life, Humboldt also took trips to the United States and across Asia to the Altai Mountains in Russia. The sheer volume of species and natural features Humboldt documented was astounding. He first sailed from Spain in 1799 to visit South America as a scientific expedition, intent on studying and recording everything he could find in nature and collecting specimens to send back to Europe for further study and classification. Humboldt is well known for his voyages through Central and South America. We owe a good deal of our scientific knowledge of ecology and physical earth processes to Humboldt’s work. Only with the wisdom of time has the world truly begun to understand the brilliance of this Prussian scientist who lived from 1769-1859. Like the poet Emily Dickinson, Humboldt’s contributions to the world were increasingly recognized and celebrated posthumously. ![]() Humboldt’s greatest legacy is probably not a little known species of squid that inhabits a section of ocean also named for Humboldt off the west coast of South America. Humboldt’s name permeates virtually every physical scale of the world, from mountains to counties to cities to streets to hotels. I had never heard of him until a couple years ago when I read Andrea Wulf’s wonderful account of Humboldt’s life in her book The Invention of Nature. It is a shame that many people have never heard of him. If you are interested in the outdoors, Alexander von Humboldt was one of the most fascinating people to have ever lived. They can live for up to two years.Humboldt in his home study and library, painted by Eduard Hildebrandt in1856. These chromatophores (which belong to more than one set and are of different sizes) may rapidly cycle through colours other than red and white, flashing too quickly for the human eye to see the transitions. They notably rapidly flash red and white while hunting, earning them the name diablo rojo (Spanish for 'red devil') among fishermen. Like other members of the subfamily Ommastrephinae, they possess bioluminescent photophores and are capable of quickly changing body coloration (metachrosis). They have a reputation for aggression towards humans, though this behavior may possibly only manifest during feeding times. Humboldt squid are among the largest of squids, reaching a mantle length of 1.5 m (4.9 ft). The Humboldt squid ( Dosidicus gigas), also known as jumbo squid, jumbo flying squid, pota or diablo rojo, is a large, predatory squid living in the waters of the Humboldt Current in the eastern Pacific Ocean.ĭosidicus gigas is the only species of the genus Dosidicus of the subfamily Ommastrephinae, family Ommastrephidae. ![]()
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