282 SOFT-BODIED ANIMALS— THE MOLLUSKS 



Italy, and can even be found on the menus of some restaurants in the. 

 United States. 



An average-sized adult squid will be no more than a foot long, but 

 there is a species of giant squid (Architeuthis prince ps) which has the dis- 

 tinction of being the largest of the invertebrates. These squids have been 

 found with a body length of about twenty feet and a total length, including 

 their long arms, of fifty-two to fifty-five feet. In spite of this great size, 

 they are preyed upon by a group of squid-eating whales. Apparently they 

 put up a terrific battle, since many whales have been caught that had long 

 stripes across their heads left by the suckers on the arms of the giant squids. 



Photo by Winchester 



Fig. 19.10. An octopus. Note the suction cups on the tentacles that enable this animal 



to attach itself firmly to solid objects. 



(A graphic description of such* a battle of titans is given by F. T. Bullen 

 in The Cruise of the Cachelof.) Although he did not observe the end 

 of the battle, the fact that he found the stomachs of numerous whales filled 

 with large pieces of squids is ample evidence as to who were the victors. 



During the days of the small sailing vessels, there were many sailors' 

 tales of encounters with the giant squid. Some told of the huge animal 

 wrapping its tentacles around a comparatively frail ship and pulling- it 

 under the water, after which it would grab the sailors in its deadly ten- 

 tacles -and crush them to death. These tales made good stories, but like 

 many another sailor's yarn they were largely figments of a vivid 

 imagination. 



There is one species of squid called the sepia that produces a brownish 

 colored ink and is an important source of this pigment for use in artists' 

 paints. It is also called the cuttlefish and has a large pen, the cuttlebone, 



