Compare & Contrast. How scientists discovered the truth behind one of the scariest sea monsters of all time MONSTE GARY HANNA

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1 Compare & Contrast How scientists discovered the truth behind one of the scariest sea monsters of all time MONSTE OF GARY HANNA 10 Scholastic Scope MARCH 12, 2012

NONFICTION PAIRED TEXTS two texts that share a theme or topic R On a moonless January night in 2003,

He was trying to break the record for the fastest sailing voyage around the world when his boat came

The mast rattled and the hull shuddered.

going on. Below deck, first mate Didier Ragot peered through a porthole into the ocean.

2 NONFICTION PAIRED TEXTS two texts that share a theme or topic R On a moonless January night in 2003, a famous French yachtsman named Olivier de Kersauson was racing across the Atlantic Ocean. He was trying to break the record for the fastest sailing voyage around the world when his boat came to a mysterious halt. In the darkness, de Kersauson s massive 110- foot boat shook violently. The mast rattled and the hull shuddered. The crew ran up and down the deck, shining flashlights into the water, trying to figure out what was going on. Below deck, first mate Didier Ragot peered through a porthole into the ocean. Then he saw it: an enormous tentacle snaking around the ship. THE SEA Go to Scope Online for our dramatic reading of Tennyson s poem, The Kraken! MARCH 12,

THE MONSTER A Horror Movie The creature was like something out of a horror movie.

It seemed to be wrapping itself around the ship, which was creaking and groaning under the strain. Just when the crew thought the boat would snap into pieces, everything went still.

It was terrifying. What the crew claimed they saw a claim that many regard as a tall tale was a giant squid. But are giant squid even real? A Tall Tale?

It was said to attack ships, then eat everyone. Bon appétit! legends about fearsome beasts that attack ships and drag everyone onboard to a watery death.

3 THE MONSTER A Horror Movie The creature was like something out of a horror movie. Some 30 feet long, it had glistening skin and long arms covered in toothy suckers that left impressions on the sides of the boat. It seemed to be wrapping itself around the ship, which was creaking and groaning under the strain. Just when the crew thought the boat would snap into pieces, everything went still. The creature was gone. I ve been sailing for 40 years, and I ve always had an answer for everything for hurricanes and icebergs, de Kersauson would later say. But I didn t have an answer for this. It was terrifying. What the crew claimed they saw a claim that many regard as a tall tale was a giant squid. But are giant squid even real? A Tall Tale? Sea monsters have captured our imaginations for thousands of years. There are countless movies, novels, and THE KRAKEN is a monster from Norse mythology, but sailors claimed it was real for centuries. It was said to attack ships, then eat everyone. Bon appétit! legends about fearsome beasts that attack ships and drag everyone onboard to a watery death. Some of the craziest stories have come from sailors. For centuries, men have returned home from long voyages with terrifying tales of enormous, squidlike beasts. These creatures, some said, were larger than whales and stronger than elephants. One of the most feared was the kraken, which could supposedly trap a ship by creating a huge whirlpool. Scientists thought these stories were little more than tall tales or hallucinations brought on by sunstroke. Then, in 1873, a fisherman off the coast of Newfoundland returned to shore with a 19-foot tentacle. Scientists realized that the kraken or something like the kraken was really out there. Squid Squads THE LEGEND Eventually, scientists deduced that what sailors were probably seeing was a kind of giant squid. Every so often, huge squid body parts would wash up on a beach or become tangled in fishing nets. Yet, no scientist had actually seen a living giant squid. In the 1960s, oceanographers developed the technology to explore deeper in the ocean than ever THE HYDRA is a water monster from Greek mythology. If you cut off one of its heads, two more will grow. The Hydra has the worst breath ever as in, catch a whiff and you ll fall down dead. (Have a mint already!) top: Charles Walker/Topfoto/The Image Works; bottom: Shutterstock 12 Scholastic Scope MARCH 12, 2012

top: Marcel Tromp/wenn.com/Newscom; bottom: Tsunemi Kubodera/National Science Museum of Japan/AP Images THE SCIENTIST before.

(As much as 95 percent of the ocean remains unexplored today.) Still, no one could find one.

Step into O Shea s office or home and you might think you ve walked into a mad scientist s lab. Jars of squid parts line his shelves; unblinking squid eyes stare out at you.

Over the years, O Shea has managed to unlock a few of the many mysteries surrounding these creatures. For one thing, giant squid are indeed giant.

They live thousands of feet below the surface of the ocean, far deeper than any human can go.

And thanks to their highly developed nerves, they can react in an instant, darting away from a net or camera.

4 top: Marcel Tromp/wenn.com/Newscom; bottom: Tsunemi Kubodera/National Science Museum of Japan/AP Images THE SCIENTIST before. Teams of scientists called squid squads started combing the high seas in hopes of glimpsing one of these elusive creatures. For them, giant squid represented all that we don t know about the ocean. (As much as 95 percent of the ocean remains unexplored today.) Still, no one could find one. Unlocking the Mysteries Marine biologist Steve O Shea has been trying to find giant squid since 1996, when a fisherman showed him the corpse of one. Step into O Shea s office or home and you might think you ve walked into a mad scientist s lab. Jars of squid parts line his shelves; unblinking squid eyes stare out at you. In the garage, he keeps stacks of boxes with squid carcasses that have washed up on beaches around the world. Over the years, O Shea has managed to unlock a few of the many mysteries surrounding these creatures. For one thing, giant squid are indeed giant. They can weigh up to 1,000 pounds and grow to almost 60 feet. O Shea also knows why giant squid are so hard to find. They live thousands of feet below the surface of the ocean, far deeper than any human can go. They have enormous eyes larger than those of any other animal which enable them to flee at the first sign of trouble. And thanks to their highly developed nerves, they can react in an instant, darting away from a net or camera. The closest O Shea has ever come to capturing a live giant squid was in 2001, when he caught 17 babies each about the size of a grasshopper. His plan was to raise them in captivity. But by the time he reached shore, all the babies were dead. Crying, O Shea pulled the corpses out himself. He later learned the tank was made of a material that is toxic to squid. Steve O Shea has dedicated his life to finding giant squid to study. He doesn t think there is anything monstrous about them at all. A Breakthrough at Last In 2004, researchers finally had a breakthrough. Two Japanese scientists were tracking a pod of sperm whales off the coast of Japan. They had a hunch the whales might lead them to a squid s lair. They were right. After days of searching with an underwater camera, they caught sight of something stuck under a rock: a creature the size of a school bus. Its eyes were as big as basketballs. It had eight flapping arms and two long, sinewy tentacles. It thrashed so wildly to break free that one tentacle broke off in the struggle. Before it got away, the scientists snapped more than 500 photos. They also hauled the 18-foot tentacle onto their boat. In 2005, the same team found another giant squid 3,000 feet below the surface and managed to film it. Since then, millions have viewed the photographs and watched the footage. But to this day, no one has been able to capture a living specimen to study, though a few have come close. There are still many mysteries about giant squid. One thing is certain, though: The monster is real. Adapted from The Squid Hunter by David Grann from The New Yorker, May 24, 2004, issue. Copyright 2004 by The New Yorker magazine. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. THE REALITY Giant squid really look like this! MARCH 12,

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the narrator

reports from sailors about monster sightings at

WRITING CONTEST Get this activity Online 14

top right: Jim Tierney; Norbert Wu/Science

5 LITERATURE A FREAK OF NATURE! In this excerpt from Jules Verne s famous novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the narrator Pierre Aronnax and the crew of the Nautilus battle bloodthirsty sea monsters. Verne published this novel in 1870, when many still thought giant squid were a myth. Verne s depiction of the squid is based on reports from sailors about monster sightings at sea. Squid can t really lift their tentacles out of the water. Once severed, a tentacle doesn t regrow. WRITING CONTEST Get this activity Online 14 Scholastic Scope MARCH 12, 2012 clockwise from top right: Jim Tierney; Norbert Wu/Science Faction/Corbis; The Natural History Museum/The Image Works; Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis An actual giant squid eye looks like this.

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