Potential enhanced ability of giant squid to detect sperm whales is an exaptation tied to their large body size

2013/01/01 by Lars Schmitz, Ryosuke Motani, Christopher E. Oufiero +3 · 2 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Cephalopods and Marine Biology #Marine animal studies overview

paper · pdf · doi:10.1186/1471-2148-13-226

openalex publication_date 2013/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

It has been hypothesized that sperm whale predation is the driver of eye size evolution in giant squid. Given that the eyes of giant squid have the size expected for a squid this big, it is likely that any enhanced ability of giant squid to detect whales is an exaptation tied to their body size. Future studies should target the mechanism behind the evolution of large body size, not eye size. Reconstructions of the evolutionary history of selective regime, eye size, optical performance, and body size will improve the understanding of the evolution of large eyes in large ocean animals.

Citations

• The giant eyes of giant squid are indeed unexpectedly large, but not if used for spotting sperm whales
• Exaptation—a Missing Term in the Science of Form
• Allometry indicates giant eyes of giant squid are not exceptional
• A Unique Advantage for Giant Eyes in Giant Squid

Cited by

• Cephalopod size [wikipedia]
• List of giant squid specimens and sightings (20th century) [wikipedia]