There are HOW MANY giant squid in the ocean? A thread… (1/7) @meg mindlin @The Octopus Lady

(2/7) We have no reliable way to estimate giant squid (Architeuthis dux) population numbers. But predators are much better samplers of deep-sea squids than humans are, and we can infer some pretty astonishing stuff from them.

(3/7) We recently re-posted this excerpt from Roper & Shea (2013) BUT some clarification is needed on their high-end estimate. Clarke (1980) actually reported GSQ as 0.26% of all beaks recovered from 461 sperm whale stomachs, so on average a little over 1 GSQ per whale per day.

(4/7) Thus, 131 million giant squid eaten globally per year is correct for a 360k sperm whale population each eating one GSQ per day, but "3.6 million giant squids consumed per day" should be 360,000.

(6/7) And if we go with the higher (plausible) estimate of each sperm whale eating one giant squid per day, that's >308 million giant squid eaten by sperm whales per year (and around 845,000 per day).

(7/7) So how many giant squid ARE there in the ocean? If somewhere between 10 million and 308 million are being eaten by sperm whales each year… it’s fairly safe to say there are a LOT. (Photo credit @Ryan Somma )

(5/7) But a 2022 study by Whitehead & Shin estimates the present global sperm whale population at about 845,000. So now *conservatively* (if each sperm whale eats 1 GSQ per month) over 10 million giant squid could be eaten by sperm whales each year...

(5/7) But a 2022 study by Whitehead & Shin estimates the present global sperm whale population at about 845,000. So now *conservatively* (if each sperm whale eats 1 GSQ per month) over 10 million giant squid could be eaten by sperm whales each year...

(6/7) And if we go with the higher (plausible) estimate of each sperm whale eating one giant squid per day, that's >308 million giant squid eaten by sperm whales per year (and around 845,000 per day).

(7/7) So how many giant squid ARE there in the ocean? If somewhere between 10 million and 308 million are being eaten by sperm whales each year… it’s fairly safe to say there are a LOT. (Photo credit @Ryan Somma