# Question about a creature in Moby-Dick **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-creature-in-moby-dick/745198 "2016-02-05T03:06:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-creature-in-moby-dick/745198/1 "2016-02-05T03:06:34Z")
What ten-armed creature was mentioned in Moby-Dick? (I was watching Jeopardy; Alex Trebek gave the answer, but someone here was talking loud and I didn’t hear what Trebek said.) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-creature-in-moby-dick/745198/2 "2016-02-05T03:08:55Z")
I didn’t see it, but most likely a giant squid. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-creature-in-moby-dick/745198/3 "2016-02-05T03:12:11Z")
Yes, squids have eight short arms and two longer tentacles. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-creature-in-moby-dick/745198/4 "2016-02-05T03:13:36Z")
I did see the episode, and can verify that the answer was “squid.” ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-creature-in-moby-dick/745198/5 "2016-02-05T03:20:25Z")
Thanx 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-creature-in-moby-dick/745198/6 "2016-02-05T03:24:40Z")
So what is brit, luminous plankton or minute krill? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-creature-in-moby-dick/745198/7 "2016-02-05T03:29:12Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > So what is brit, luminous plankton or minute krill? > **[brit](https://www.thefreedictionary.com/brit)** > > Definition, Synonyms, Translations of brit by The Free Dictionary **brit** also **britt** (brĭt) n. [ul][li]1. The young of herring and similar fish.[/li][li]2. Minute marine organisms, such as crustaceans of the genus _Calanus_, that are a major source of food for right whales.[/ul][/li] . ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-creature-in-moby-dick/745198/8 "2016-02-05T03:33:40Z")
Does that include silver fish, those 1.5-cm semi-transparent fish? Love 'em. They sometimes mass so thickly at the surface you can literally scoop them onto your boat. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-creature-in-moby-dick/745198/9 "2016-02-05T04:10:50Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Does that include silver fish, those 1.5-cm semi-transparent fish? Love 'em. They sometimes mass so thickly at the surface you can literally scoop them onto your boat. Sounds like the grunion that show up at the shore in the South Bay in Los Angeles County.