# If giant squid is a common food for some whales why can't we get a video of the action taking place? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-giant-squid-is-a-common-food-for-some-whales-why-cant-we-get-a-video-of-the-action-taking-place/625494 "2012-06-18T06:20:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-giant-squid-is-a-common-food-for-some-whales-why-cant-we-get-a-video-of-the-action-taking-place/625494/1 "2012-06-18T06:20:24Z")
Here is [very nice animation.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z2Lfxpi710) Why is getting the real thing so impossible? If we can visit the Marianas Trench why can’t we wire up a whale? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-giant-squid-is-a-common-food-for-some-whales-why-cant-we-get-a-video-of-the-action-taking-place/625494/2 "2012-06-18T07:25:19Z")
I suspect that attaching a camera to a sperm whale would contravene the Marine Mammal Protection Act. [Marine Mammal Protection Act - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Mammal_Protection_Act_of_1972) I’m not sure whether following a sperm whale in a sub would be considered harassment. I’m also not sure whether it would be plausible for any length of time. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-giant-squid-is-a-common-food-for-some-whales-why-cant-we-get-a-video-of-the-action-taking-place/625494/3 "2012-06-18T07:35:06Z")
I see from Wikipedia that modern subs have a test depth of 1600 feet. Colossal squids inhabit the 3300- 7200 foot range. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-giant-squid-is-a-common-food-for-some-whales-why-cant-we-get-a-video-of-the-action-taking-place/625494/4 "2012-06-18T09:31:36Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > I see from Wikipedia that modern subs have a test depth of 1600 feet. Colossal squids inhabit the 3300- 7200 foot range. We have plenty of remotely operated vehicles that go down that far but I suspect none of them have the stamina to follow a whale for long enough to catch it feeding on a giant squid. And how often do whales actually eat giant squids? You might be chasing a whale for a month or more until it actually eats one. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-giant-squid-is-a-common-food-for-some-whales-why-cant-we-get-a-video-of-the-action-taking-place/625494/5 "2012-06-18T11:13:26Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > I suspect that attaching a camera to a sperm whale would contravene the Marine Mammal Protection Act. [Marine Mammal Protection Act - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Mammal_Protection_Act_of_1972) > > I’m not sure whether following a sperm whale in a sub would be considered harassment. I’m also not sure whether it would be plausible for any length of time. Attaching “crittercams” to whales has been done. One of the leading giant squid specialists, Clyde Roper, did try hunting the critters with a crittercam attached to a sperm whale but didn’t have any luck. > **[Crittercam](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/marine-mammals/crittercam)** ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-giant-squid-is-a-common-food-for-some-whales-why-cant-we-get-a-video-of-the-action-taking-place/625494/6 "2012-06-18T12:02:45Z")
It also tends to be a bit dark down there and attaching floodlights to the whale is going to tend to be a bit counter-productive. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-giant-squid-is-a-common-food-for-some-whales-why-cant-we-get-a-video-of-the-action-taking-place/625494/7 "2012-06-18T12:28:17Z")
It would be cheaper to film the whole thing on a sound stage in Arizona. In addition to the problems already mentioned, visibility is very poor at those depths. If you look at photos of, say, the [Titanic wreck](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Titanic_wreck_bow.jpg), it’s only possible to light a small area. Getting a shot would be a nightmare, as would any attempt to track the whales. An ROV would be unsuitable, as they are tethered to a host ship. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-giant-squid-is-a-common-food-for-some-whales-why-cant-we-get-a-video-of-the-action-taking-place/625494/8 "2012-06-18T16:17:17Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > We have plenty of remotely operated vehicles that go down that far but I suspect none of them have the stamina to follow a whale for long enough to catch it feeding on a giant squid. Or the speed. Deep exploration submersibles are not built for speed; they’re creeping things. [Alvin](http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/subs/alvin/alvin.html) > [@](#): > > Alvin weighs 37,400 lbs. and measures 23 ft 4 in long, 11 ft 10 in high and 8 ft 6 in wide. It has a 6-mi range, a cruising speed of 1 knot and a maximum speed of 2 knots. A sperm whale’s speed is harder to pin down with web searches – various sites assert 27 mph, 25 mph, 23 mph, and “no faster than 6 mph.” All of those speeds are much faster than _Alvin_, however.