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ABC News: Dr Karl vs the mysterious giant squid

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A giant squid
ABC News: Dr Karl vs the mysterious giant squid

SUBJECTS:  Science

YEARS:  5–6


Do you believe in the legendary sea monster called the Kraken?

It's said to have gigantic tentacles and to lurk in the deep ocean.

In this clip, Dr Karl talks about some of the extraordinary features of a real deep-sea creature — the giant squid.

Watch this clip to find out about it and see some footage of this amazing creature.


Things to think about

  1. 1.What do you know about the giant squid? Where does it live, what does it eat, and what does it look like? Why might scientists be particularly interested in finding out more about giant squid? Why do you think these squid have been so mysterious until recently?
  2. 2.The blood of giant squid helps them to survive on the ocean floor. At what temperature does their blood work best? What happens when they come towards the surface? What animal type (with a name that means 'no bones') is a squid? Despite having no bones, what can the squid do that works like something in our bodies? Why is that useful? Why would giant squid taste bad?
  3. 3.The giant squid has many adaptations for life in the deep ocean. What are some of them? Can you think of some other adaptations of deep-sea animals? How is the latest knowledge of giant squid contributing to our understanding of the ocean floor? Why else might it be important to understand more about them? How might giant squid assist human medical research?
  4. 4.Find out about some other marine animals that live deep below the surface. What kinds of adaptations do they have to help them survive? Create a poster or a presentation about your chosen animal.


Date of broadcast: 13 Jan 2013


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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