# 1.7 Metre-Long Squid Approaches 8 Year Old Girl. Offers Candy. Newslink **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 1, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611 "2006-03-01T14:07:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/1 "2006-03-01T14:07:05Z")
Well, no, the candy was not involved. But a certain ammount of danger **was**. [http://www.mercopress.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=7308](http://www.mercopress.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=7308) > [@](#): > > Apparently an eight year old girl was swimming in the Chinquihue beach when she began screaming for help. Several people went to her rescue and came across the giant cephalopod at waist depth, which they “stoned” to death and later pulled to the beach. > [@](#): > > Ms Rodriguez described the Dosidicus gigas as an very aggressive species that feeds on fishes. Damn thing was about the right size to kill the kid. Was she in danger? ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/2 "2006-03-01T14:14:26Z")
The squid was obviously close enough for her to see/touch…I think if it intended to kill the girl, it would have pulled her under before she could scream. Those things are fast. Squids have been shown to be very intelligent…it may have just been checking her out, or it could have just been hunting for fish and not noticed her at all. Or, at a shallow depth like that, it may have been dying. Could be all sorts of explanations. Are there any records of a large squid having attacked/killed a human? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/3 "2006-03-01T14:17:19Z")
Dude, where do you come up with these stories!!! 😃 Of course she was in danger! Anyone who has spent any time in the Pacific Northwest can tell you that mollusks are plotting to take over the world. Most likely the thing was a spy sent to retrieve a specimen for the laboratories of the cephalopod empire which bides its time in the frigid depths. I expect we shall hear about more of these kinds of attacks with less fortunate results. I mean…unless there was a shaved and greased goat nearby at the time of the ‘attack.’ In which case, “Welcome!” to our newest member, I for one welcome our new cephalopod overlords, etc. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/4 "2006-03-01T14:32:13Z")
Oh, that poor child! Maybe it’s because I’ve got a sort of icthyphobia thing\*, but this immediately made the needle on my SquickOMeter zing up to 10. \*Yes, fish. Shaddup. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/5 "2006-03-01T14:33:33Z")
> [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > The squid was obviously close enough for her to see/touch…I think if it intended to kill the girl, it would have pulled her under before she could scream. Those things are fast. > Squids have been shown to be very intelligent…it may have just been checking her out, or it could have just been hunting for fish and not noticed her at all. Or, at a shallow depth like that, it may have been dying. Could be all sorts of explanations. > > Are there any records of a large squid having attacked/killed a human? Cites- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2661691.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2661691.stm) [http://diver.net/seahunt/fend/f\_scottc.htm](http://diver.net/seahunt/fend/f_scottc.htm) Also, Google for Alex Kirstich ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/6 "2006-03-01T15:20:00Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Of course she was in danger! Anyone who has spent any time in the Pacific Northwest can tell you that mollusks are plotting to take over the world. \*\*Inigo, \*\*you don’t know how right you are! They _ **are** _ amongst us and are duping the unwary into strengthening their handhold (uh, tenticlehold) on land! I give you the story of the[Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus!](http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/) ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/7 "2006-03-01T15:54:40Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Cites- > > [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2661691.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2661691.stm) > > [http://diver.net/seahunt/fend/f\_scottc.htm](http://diver.net/seahunt/fend/f_scottc.htm) > > Also, Google for Alex Kirstich That’s kinda scary. From the second link: “Anti-squid armor suit” I want one. Just because it sounds cool. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/8 "2006-03-01T16:04:53Z")
😃 Good golly! ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/9 "2006-03-01T16:18:56Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > Oh, that poor child! > > Maybe it’s because I’ve got a sort of icthyphobia thing\*, but this immediately made the needle on my SquickOMeter zing up to 10. > > \*Yes, fish. Shaddup. DON’T, whatever you do, go see the “Deep Sea-3D” imax film! I’m not normally squicked out by fish, but, _damn!, did they look close!_ ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/10 "2006-03-01T16:37:14Z")
> [@Tikki](#): > > \*\*Inigo, \*\*you don’t know how right you are! They _ **are** _ amongst us and are duping the unwary into strengthening their handhold (uh, tenticlehold) on land! I give you the story of the[Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus!](http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/) You know these things are nasty. You’ve really got to watch out for them. Despite a lifetime commitment to environmentalism, I am glad that someday we will only see the PNTOs in zoo. I hear they are in league with Bigfoot. Jim \>I know people who believed that the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus really existed \< ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/11 "2006-03-01T17:35:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Are there any records of a large squid having attacked/killed a human? Sometimes at night, I can still hear the screams… ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/12 "2006-03-01T18:21:27Z")
Step away from the girl’s dorm window, **Nemo** , and put you clothes back on. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/13 "2006-03-01T19:27:18Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Cites- > > [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2661691.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2661691.stm) You know, the picture at the top of the page on this link really screams out for a caption… maybe something like… “Holy crap. I _really_ had too much to drink last night…” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/14 "2006-03-01T19:52:38Z")
What does it mean, “squick”? ---
**Author:** ![MrJackboots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/15 "2006-03-01T20:10:23Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > What does it mean, “squick”? Squick is the sound of removing someone’s glass eye and using the socket for sexual gratification… or the reaction most people have when hearing that description. Probably the latter in this case. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/16 "2006-03-01T20:18:13Z")
> [@MrJackboots](#): > > Squick is the sound of removing someone’s glass eye and using the socket for sexual gratification… Thanks for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/17 "2006-03-01T22:59:50Z")
Holy shit. I wonder if we have any giant squid in Lake Michigan. Cause that would be AWESOME. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/18 "2006-03-01T23:07:56Z")
You know, Chile is much closer to [R’lyeh](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%27lyeh)… hmmm… ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/19 "2006-03-01T23:11:41Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Cites- > > [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2661691.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2661691.stm) > > [http://diver.net/seahunt/fend/f\_scottc.htm](http://diver.net/seahunt/fend/f_scottc.htm) > > Also, Google for Alex Kirstich Although there are some recorded attacks by squid, they’re pretty rare. Researchers tend to believe the author of your second cite/site is a bit alarmist. [Some more detail on that.](http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/issues/Issue.03-10-2005/cover/Article.cover_story) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611/20 "2006-03-01T23:30:09Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > You know, Chile is much closer to [R’lyeh](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%27lyeh)… hmmm… Ack, is it the long dreaded rising of the old ones? Are these his Minions? You know who I mean. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-7-metre-long-squid-approaches-8-year-old-girl-offers-candy-newslink/346611.md?page=2)