Talk:Cephalopod size

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 This article is part of WikiProject Cephalopods, an attempt at creating a standardized, informative and easy-to-use cephalopod resource. If you would like to participate, you can choose to edit this article, or visit the project page for more information.

What a nice article! Communist47 01:02, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] More than 100x larger than what you list here!

Wasn't a giant octopus beached in the USA in 1865? It was photoed and the ball of its body was larger than 2 meters in diameter. Its arms were over 28 meters long estimated and the entire spread of such animal was estimated at 60 meters! That one colossus is not mentioned in the article at all! 193.226.227.153 23:30, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

See St. Augustine Monster. It was whale blubber. Mgiganteus1 00:42, 15 February 2007 (UTC)


There are many reports of giant squid attaining to 55-57 feet long. The way the article summarily dismisses such claims without even a citation is disturbing.65.81.28.227 13:24, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

There is a reference: O'Shea (2005). Please also see the giant squid article. Mgiganteus1 13:32, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Even National Geographic reports squid at long as 59 feet:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/photogalleries/giant_squid/photo4.html

Far from being scientifically accurate, this article instead ingages in 'recentism,' forgetting past claims in order to concentrate on recent finds. Also, using just one source (a skeptic) is hardly a balanced approach.

→ R Young {yakłtalk} 13:34, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

National Geographic also reported Archaeoraptor. Mgiganteus1 13:43, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

The fact that they just found a colossal squid 33% larger than the previous one indicates we haven't come close to matching the 'true' size records here. There is a problem of gullibility (I should know...I deal with claims of '140' year-old persons, totally false) but there is also a problem of 'recentism,' for example when it was recently claimed that the 'oldest mouse ever' was 4 years 12 days old (oops, not a record). That the skpetics' view for this article is in fact based on just one expert (O'Shea) gives one person too much influence. Most sources agree the 1887 specimen DID measure 55 feet long. How would O'Shea know if it were 'stretched like a rubber band'? Was he alive in 1887? NOT. There have been actual photographs as well.→ R Young {yakłtalk} 13:56, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Most sources simply repeat the same claims. None of these monster squid have been scientifically documented. There are no photographs of 18 m long giant squid. The new colossal squid specimen is well within the estimated maximum size of this species (which has been included on this page months prior to this new discovery). Mgiganteus1 14:04, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Checking this out:

http://zapatopi.net/cephnews/colossalsquidcaught.html

Over the past 8 years we have done everything we can to reduce the reported lengths and weights of Architeuthis, not exaggerate them. Similarly, when this specimen of Mesonychoteuthis was first brought to our attention we expected that it too had been exaggerated. When examining it we expected it to be fully mature, we expected the beaks to be as large as those (or very close to in terms of size) those reported from stomach contents of sperm whales. We were amazed that they were not. If this animal does attain a mantle length between 4 and 5 metres then it truly is one most formidable monster; it was frightening enough at 2.5 metres!

With kindest regards Steve O'Shea

Steve O'Shea might be a world's leading expert, but he is also a skeptic with an agenda, having done 'everything (he) can to reduce the reported lengths and weights of Architeuthis." While this campaign has been largely effective, it has also led to a one-sided approach.

Similar attempts were made to downgrade the idea that whales could live 100+ years, or that the panda is not a bear, but in reality there is no scientific consensus. In recent years, scientists now believe that whales can live to 210+ years (based on the contents of a whale stomach dating to 1790). Actual photographs of the 1887 55-footer have been made, and I again call this 'recentism'...there is an attempt in many fields to forget past research and begin anew, with new 'records'. The article here should provide a balanced approach...no 'live' specimen in the past doesn't mean that dead specimens were not measured. How hard is it to measure a tentacle?→ R Young {yakłtalk} 15:35, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Recentism

→ R Young {yakłtalk} 15:38, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Length units

Tables should make things easier to compare. Is there a reason behind writing 0.69 m, 60 cm, and 500 mm, all in the same column? Otherwise, someone should (and I will if I have time one of these days) clean up the measurement units in the tables. Shingra 15:43, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

From the article: "Note: Measurements are listed as they appear in the cited references and original units are retained." PenguinJockey 01:11, 28 May 2007 (UTC)
I see, I had missed that note. Well, those tables look strange to me anyway - is there a precedent or guideline for keeping units like that? Shingra 18:20, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Discussion on Largest Octopus

I just want to toss this out there before I do any editing. I feel there should be an expanded explanation on the controversy between E. dofleini and H. atlanticus as the largest octopus. The explanation currently on several pages stating that the Seven-armed octopus is the largest "based on scientific records" is ambiguous and slightly misleading (there is a bit more explanation on the GPO page). There is disagreement among cephalopod researchers. I feel it would be useful to lay out a small paragraph detailing what the records actually are, and why there is disagreement, and link related pages, such as the Seven-arm octopus and the North Pacific Giant Octopus pages to that. My question to those monitoring these pages would be: Is the Ceph Size page the appropriate place for such a paragraph. Taollan82 (talk) 22:53, 27 December 2007 (UTC)