# Fatal squid/octopus attacks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 14, 2008, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-squid-octopus-attacks/449300 "2008-05-14T16:30:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-squid-octopus-attacks/449300/21 "2008-05-15T15:33:58Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Louisiana and Florida have plenty of alligators as do a few more Southern states. Unlike crocodiles however, they aren’t very aggressive. I have swam in alligator infested water without much worry even when they were visible from afar. Well, alligators have gotten a bit more feisty lately: [Gator attacks diver looking for golf balls.](http://www.tampabays10.com/news/specials/popular/article.aspx?s=popular&storyid=79095) [Gator attacks swimmer.](http://www.charleston.net/photos/galleries/2007/sep/17/alligator_attack/) [Gator kills man fleeing police.](http://www.local10.com/news/14578234/detail.html) [Three women killed by gators in separate incidents.](http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/third-woman-killed-by-alligator-in-florida/2006/05/15/1147545237212.html) [Elderly woman killed by gator in Savannah.](http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071011/alligator_death_071011/20071011?hub=World) But to be fair to the gators, there are over a million of them, and many more millions of humans invading their habitat, so the relative numbers are still quite low. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-squid-octopus-attacks/449300/22 "2008-05-15T19:50:51Z")
Well, I suppose that the only confirmed fatality by a large squid is that one guy from the 1941 Britannia sinking that got pulled to his death. Lieutenant R. E. G. Cox was lucky to escape a similar fate! I wonder if he was ever photographed with his scars? If I had survived such an experience, I would certainly want photographic evidence as soon as I got to a camera. I would keep the photo with me wherever I went, and I would never pass up a chance to tell the story. I would whip out the pic at every family event, and talk about the incident until everyone was rather sick of the whole thing – “Oh, good grief, Gytalf is at it again with his squid story!” For some reason, I was thinking that there had been people killed by Humboldt squid (Dosidicus, I think) in the Sea of Cortez. Perhaps there have been some fatalities, but they have simply gone unrecorded. Then again, maybe people have just seen the size that those squid get, just assume that they are quite capable of turning an adult human into a meal, and extrapolate from there – “Look at those killer squid!” Don’t the fishermen call the squid “devilfish” or something like that? ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-squid-octopus-attacks/449300/23 "2008-05-15T23:10:38Z")
The movie _Popeye_ with Robin Williams gave me a fear of octopi for many years following… ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-squid-octopus-attacks/449300/24 "2008-05-15T23:50:31Z")
[QUOTE=fiddlesticks] The movie _Popeye_ with Robin Williams gave me a fear of octopi for many years following… [/QUOTE] And not a fear of Robin Williams or Shelley Duvall? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2008, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-squid-octopus-attacks/449300/25 "2008-05-16T01:05:29Z")
[QUOTE=Chimera] And not a fear of Robin Williams or Shelley Duvall? :dubious: [/QUOTE] Don’t forget about the movie **Deep Rising**. The people on board that ship made a very tasty snack for the giant octopus. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mwbrooks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mwbrooks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mwbrooks)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2008, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-squid-octopus-attacks/449300/26 "2008-05-16T01:11:22Z")
[QUOTE=gytalf2000] For some reason, I was thinking that there had been people killed by Humboldt squid (Dosidicus, I think) in the Sea of Cortez. Perhaps there have been some fatalities, but they have simply gone unrecorded. Then again, maybe people have just seen the size that those squid get, just assume that they are quite capable of turning an adult human into a meal, and extrapolate from there – “Look at those killer squid!” Don’t the fishermen call the squid “devilfish” or something like that? [/QUOTE] The [Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosidicus_gigas) says there have been reports of Humboldt squid attacks on fishermen. I half recall a TV documentary that showed fishermen gigging the squid pretty viciously, so maybe the squid were just pissed off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-squid-octopus-attacks/449300.md?page=1)