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Though yet to be observed in its natural environment, the giant squid (and its heavier Antarctic cousin, the colossal squid) is slowly giving up its secrets thanks to Clyde Roper, one of the world's leading teuthologists. Along with a quick tally of historical encounters with the creatures, Giant Squid: Searching for a Sea Monster presents accounts of several of Roper's undersea expeditions along with those of Japanese expert Tsunemi Kubodera and summarizes in clear, simple language what has been learned or inferred about the monsters' physical structures, behavior, and life cycle.
Some memorable color photos, including views of Roper lying down beside a dead squid to show its length, posing next to a headlamp-size eyeball, and deep in the bloody guts of a recently beached sperm whale add plenty of visual appeal (of a sort) to the generous array of charts, maps, and painted images. This makes rewarding reading for fans of the Scientists in the Field series, or anyone interested in learning more about some of the world's largest and most outstandingly alien-looking animals.
