less than .01% of the population is aware of these incredible facts from the animal kingdom that are truly stranger than fiction! I learned all about this amazing animal on my oceanic expedition in 2019, The facts about this creature are so alien and unbelievable that I could not help but become an expert on the once "mythical" creature first caught alive on film in 2006.
Continue reading to learn incredible animal facts and the final reveal of who the most amazing brain belongs to!
Food for thought? literally!
A brain shaped like an onion ring and weighing in at less than 100g this minuscule miracle becomes even stranger still when you learn that the creature's stomach and esophagus pass straight through its center! That's right, whenever this animal eats its food passes straight through its brain!
Eye see you!
Having the largest eyes in the world, As much as 80% or greater of this brain's power is dedicated to the animal's sight. The eyes of the giant and colossal variants of this animal are often compared to dinner plates, soccer balls, and Frisbees. They are equipped with built-in headlights just like your car! Able to see in dark depths of the ocean to hunt its prey. The animal's eyes were previously thought to be an impossibility and should just "float" away in water like a liquid until scientists learned that it has to do with proteins and density.
What are you looking at?
There is even a "cockeyed" variant of this animal who has one large and one small eye, The larger eye points upward allowing it to see predators while the smaller eye points downward into the murky depths. All of the "cockeyed" species' eyes are consistently inconsistent. One eye is always bigger than the other! o.O
Whole lotta love!
Fueling this unique brain is THREE hearts, two branchial hearts which are responsible for pumping blood to its gills for oxygen, and one systemic heart that pumps oxygen and blood to the rest of its body.
Jet-propelled!
surrounding the animal's brain and internal organs is the mantle which contains a muscular sack that makes locomotion possible. Powered by "jet propulsion" water is sucked in and quickly shot out of its narrow siphon. At the same time, this is also how the animal breathes. This animal is also a fast swimmer moving at 23-25 mph, however, if the animal stops moving it will sink to the bottom of the ocean.
Pen and Ink!
This animal is known to produce ink to escape predators, on my expedition I picked up one of these animals and was very surprised with the amount of force and intensity the ink shot out at. There is also a gladius, or "pen" which is a rigid internal body part found in many cephalopods used for stiffening the animal and giving something for its muscular tissues and organs to attach to. It is often shaped like a feather, leaf, or small sword. Additionally, there is a vampire variant of this animal who most likely writes memoirs and gothic poetry. That is enough to make any predator turn tail in fear.
Feeding tentacles?
Lined with hundreds of suckers, the animal has two feeding tentacles that can shoot out great distances from its body and have been known to leave deep scars on sharks and whales. There was a shark found off the coast of Hawaii in 2020 bearing the battle scars thought to be from this rare animal's powerful suckers.
Comparing us to it.
Even though this animal seems vastly different from us with its ring-shaped brain, 3 hearts, and bizarre anatomy members of this species have been used since the 1930s to study the nervous system and make advancements in dementia and Alzheimer's disease and how nerve transports break down over time.
The big reveal.
So, who is this oceanic wonder of the animal kingdom? If you haven't figured out what animal I am referring to yet the wait is over, It is the Giant Squid!
These are only a handful of amazing facts about this slippery cephalopod and its enigmatic existence, all these amazing facts and we still don't even fully understand how they reproduce in captivity. They are quite possibly the most unique and unusual animals living on our planet and with only 20% of the earths oceans explored we have so much more to discover.
About the Creator
Ashley C
Small town just trying to find her way.
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