The Search For the Giant Squid: The Biology and Mythology of the World's Most Elusive Sea Creature - Softcover

Ellis, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140286764 ISBN 13: 9780140286762

Publisher: Penguin, 1999

Synopsis

The most mysterious and elusive of all sea creatures, the giant squid--at least sixty feet long and weighing nearly a ton--is also one of the largest. Yet for all its magnificent size and threatening undersea presence, Architeuthis has remained a mystery. Until now. In this marvelous and beautifully illustrated book, marine biologist, explorer, and artist Richard Ellis presents all that is known about the giant squid. Delving into myth, literature, popular culture, and science, he brings readers face to face with this remarkable creature. He also provides a thorough, compelling study of what is known and what is still to be discovered about this exotic animal that has never been studied alive. Interweaving his engrossing narrative with a wealth of fascinating illustrations and photographs, Ellis gives us the first comprehensive history of the only living creature that can truly be called a "sea monster."

About this title

Review:

The sea contains many mysteries, and among the most enduring of them are giant squids of the genus Architeuthis. About this squid, known as the "kraken" in classical mythology, we know little, except, oceanographic writer Richard Ellis notes, that "it occasionally washes ashore--and when that happens, we don't know why." Some of these odd creatures, Ellis notes, are 60 feet long, cannibalistic and patently fierce, with the largest eyes of any animal on the planet (useful for seeing in the inky darkness of the deep sea). They're not the kind of thing you'd want to encounter on a benthic shelf, as Ian Fleming made clear in Doctor No, in which superspy James Bond had one such unpleasant meeting. But, thanks to Ellis's well-researched account, they make the perfect subject for armchair sleuthing, and he tells you just about everything you'd want to know about the giant squid, from the biologists and explorers and cryptozoologists who have hunted for it over the centuries, and much more. --Gregory McNamee

From the Publisher:

A look at the deep sea's most elusive creature.
It can grow sixty feet in length, possibly longer, and weigh more than a ton. It is a spindle-shaped creature with two elongated, whip-like tentacles at one end and a pointed tail at the other, a huge beak between its arms, and two lidless eyes the size of dinner plates. The giant squid is the least-known large animal on earth. In THE SEARCH FOR THE GIANT SQUID, one of this country's foremost authorities on ocean life, Richard Ellis, provides the first authoritative study of this most mysterious of ocean creatures. Delving into myth, literature, and science, he separates fact from fiction and brings us face-to-face with this aquatic beast. He also gives us a thorough, compelling study of what is known and what is still to be discovered about this most exotic animal, which has never been studied alive.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0140286764
• ISBN 13: 9780140286762
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336