By Suzanne Schmidt
Staff Writer
The red devil invaded the Wesley Chapel High School classroom, but instead of it attacking students, the students attacked it.
Through the Squids-4-Kids program at Stanford University in California, juniors and seniors in the Wesley Chapel High marine biology classes were able to learn about the Humboldt Squid, otherwise known as the Red Devil. The school received two squids and marine science teachers Susan Cullum and Kathy Reilly dissected one and left the other whole.
“The fisherman catch the squid and then they are sent to schools throughout the country,” Cullum said. “This is an exciting opportunity for the kids to have a hands-on activity with the squid. These squid are in equatorial pacific waters. We would never have a chance to see them in Florida.”
The program is a collaboration between researchers at Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University and NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service in Santa Cruz, California. There is no charge to the school except the shipping cost.
“This is special because we are going through a warm El Nino cycle,” Cullum said. “The warm water is coming north and that is allowing the squid to migrate further north than usual. The squid are not supposed to be in those areas. They have been found all the way up north in places like Canada, Washington and even as far as Alaska.”
Normally it would be dangerous for a person to see such a large squid.
“These squid are very aggressive which is why this is causing an issue,” Cullum said. “The squids are decimating commercial fisheries. They are so aggressive that in large swarms they turn cannibalistic.”
Crystal Moore, senior, touched the tentacles and was excited to find teeth.
“They are really sharp and the skin is really tough,” Moore said. “I am learning why they are a pretty dangerous species in the sea. I see how it can protect itself. This is a lot better than just taking notes in class.”
For many students, the hands-on activity was much more exciting than a normal class, even with the strong rotten fish smell. Cameron Roth, junior, could not wait to get to class to touch the squid.
“I get to touch it which is so much better then seeing it on a big screen,” Roth said. “I learned a lot about marine life like how the Humboldt squid catches its prey and feeds on it.”
There are several things junior Marcus Crescentini learned about the squid that he said he would not have realized if not for seeing it in person.
“It is different then seeing it in a text book,” Crescentini said. “I think I learn better this way. I didn’t know the squid had two hearts. When I saw the ink sack, I was surprised because I thought it would be bigger. When you look at the skin you wouldn’t think it would be soft, but it feels kind of like a snake.”
Seeing the squid in person helped senior Jeremy Baker realize how big the squid are.
“Their eyes are three times the size of ours,” Baker said. “It was really cool to look at the fin under the microscope. I got to see all different colored pigments.”
For information visit gilly.stanford.edu.
