Außergewöhnliche Sichtung
So groß wie ein Mensch: Angespülter Riesenkalmar sorgt für Aufruhr
Eigentlich leben sie in Meerestiefen von bis zu 1.000 Metern. Nur selten bekommt man Riesenkalmare zu Gesicht. Dieses Exemplar könnte jedoch nicht weiter von seinem Zuhause entfernt sein, denn er ist am Long Beach in Kommetjie, Südafrika, angespült worden.
Anwohnerin Ali Paulus macht eine ungewöhnliche Entdeckung am Strand
![Story from Jam Press (Giant Squid)
Pictured: Ali Paulus' pictures of the giant squid.
Rare GIANT SQUID bigger than human child washes up on beach
A woman was stunned to find a giant squid washed up on the beach
The huge sea creature was found on Long Beach in Kommetjie, South Africa at 7 a.m. on Saturday (30 April) by local Ali Paulus.
She immediately took pictures of the body – showing the tangled tentacles and large size of the cephalopod, which measured around 2.2 metres long without its arms extended.
The squid appears to have suffered an injury, with a gash above its tentacle – which Ali guesses was caused by a boat propeller.
Giant squids are one of the most elusive creatures on the planet, living at depths between 300-1,000 metres and rarely coming to the surface.
Sightings in the region are rare, with the last known coming in Cape Town in 2020, when a baby giant squid washed up on a beach.
Sharing the shots on Instagram, Ali said: “Giant Squid - Long Beach Kommetjie. Seems there is not too much known about these creatures. Limited consensus over the number of species.
“Estimates of species across the genus vary. At least three distinct species exist, but there could be many more. The global distribution is wide and consistent with this sighting.
“Looks like this poor guy got taken out by a propeller.”
One person commented: “Incredible find but very sad for such an amazing animal. Lovely photos as always.”
“Wow. This is incredible. Sad for the Squid,” said another user.
Someone else said: “Oh my word what a sighting. Poor [squid emoji].”
“What an amazing experience!” another user added.
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In der Regel sind Kalmare – ohne Kopf und Arme – etwa einen halben Meter groß und können bis zu zwei Kilogramm wiegen. Dieser Riesenkalmar dürfte diesen Ausprägungen schon ganz schön nahe kommen, schließlich ist er fast so groß wie ein Kind. Die Südafrikanerin Ali Paulus war also nicht ohne Grund fassungslos, als sie das riesige Tier am 30. April nichtsahnend morgens am Strand fand.
Selbstverständlich musste der spektakuläre Fund auf Fotos festgehalten werden. Schnurstracks postete Paulus die Bilder auf ihrem Instagram-Kanal.
Doch die außergewöhnliche Sichtung ist gleichzeitig eine traurige: Der Tintenfisch hat offenbar eine Verletzung erlitten, denn man konnte eine klaffende Wunder oberhalb eines Tentakels erkennen. Laut „JamPress“ vermutete die Entdeckerin, dass eine Schiffsschraube dafür verantwortlich sein könnte. Eine Person kommentierte daher unter Paulus’ Social-Media-Post: „Wow, das ist unglaublich. Und traurig für den Tintenfisch.“ (vdü)
Lese-Tipp: Riesenkalmar, Oktopus, Sepien - das sind die Unterschiede
