# Oozing Giant Gelatenous Mass Found Off Chile Is Said To Be...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oozing-giant-gelatenous-mass-found-off-chile-is-said-to-be/185752>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 2, 2003, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oozing-giant-gelatenous-mass-found-off-chile-is-said-to-be/185752 "2003-07-02T11:53:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oozing-giant-gelatenous-mass-found-off-chile-is-said-to-be/185752/81 "2003-07-12T06:28:28Z")

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Ah well.

I still believe that it is only a matter of time until the existence of a species of giant octopus is proven.

I have books from my childhood that explain the Kraken to be pure myth. They say that no squid could possibly grow so large, and that no squid would ever attack a ship.

The size of archeteuthis and mesonyteuthis are scientific fact. At least one case of an attack on a ship is a matter of official US government record.

So, why not a giant octopus?

Is there any scientific reason that squid could grow so huge but octopods could not?

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**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oozing-giant-gelatenous-mass-found-off-chile-is-said-to-be/185752/82 "2003-07-12T07:06:42Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by NurseCarmen \*  
> \*\*[Whale carcass](http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/07/11/chile.creature.reut/index.html)
> 
> bummer. \*\*

I disagree, to some extent. The _means_ by which a whale can turn into an undifferentiated mass of goo is quite fascinating.

For anyone not following the story, it happens like this: Whale dies. It floats around for a while, decomposing. The flesh rots and becomes soft. Eventually, the skeleton _falls out_ of the body, because the bones are too heavy and the flesh too gooey to support them. The bones sink to the bottom and disappear, and the boneless bag of blubbery yecch floats away and eventually washes up on a beach.

One of the articles quoted a cetacean scientist as saying this happens fairly regularly, and that he’s gotten a number of calls over the years to investigate similar mystery globs.

Not as interesting as a giant octopus, perhaps, but still quite interesting nonetheless.

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**Author:** ![Alcibiades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/cab0a1/32.png) [@Alcibiades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alcibiades)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oozing-giant-gelatenous-mass-found-off-chile-is-said-to-be/185752/83 "2003-07-12T12:37:32Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by DreadCthulhu \*  
> \*\*Don’t look at me, I’m in Japan right now. \*\*

LOL!

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**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:** [July 12, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oozing-giant-gelatenous-mass-found-off-chile-is-said-to-be/185752/84 "2003-07-12T14:40:03Z")

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I’s a sperm whale.

Yup.

Just a giant, oozing glob of sperm.

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