The Fierce Humboldt Squid Educator Guide

A resource for using QUEST video in the classroom

Watch it online http://www.kqed.org/quest/television/the-fierce-humboldt-squid | 10:18 minutes

QUEST PROGRAM NOTES SUBJECTS Little is known about the mysterious sea creature known as the Humboldt squid. What is

known is that this giant predator from the deep has invaded the waters off Northern Life Biology Science Health California and doesn’t seem ready to leave any time soon. Environment In this segment you’ll find… Earth Geology Science Climate ۞ how the Humboldt squid is affecting ecosystems Weather within the California Current. Astronomy why the Humboldt squid has been able to survive ۞ Physical Physics and thrive in its expanded range. Science Chemistry Engineering what scientists are doing to learn more about the ۞ Humboldt squid's life cycle and its effects on the ecosystem.

CA SCIENCE STANDARDS TOPIC BACKGROUND

Grade 6 The Humboldt squid is a large, predatory invertebrate found in the waters of the Pacific Ecology (Life Sciences) Ocean. Humboldt squid can change color when angry, turning from white to deep red. 5. (e) Number and types of This characteristic, combined with their aggressive nature when hungry, has earned them organisms an ecosystem can the name "diablo rojo" (red devil). They’re also called jumbo squid, and sometimes jumbo support depends on the flying squid. resources available and on abiotic factors. Historically, the Humboldt squid has roamed the waters of the Humboldt Current, ranging from the southernmost tip of South America north to California. But in recent years, this Grades 9-12 sea creature has been found as far north as Alaska. Their expanding range raised red Ecology (Biology/Life flags about the ecological reasons for this northern migration. Some scientists believe the Sciences) squid is migrating because climate change is making the oceans warmer. Others think 6. (a, b) Biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of that overfishing has led to a decrease in predators, allowing the squid to expand its organisms and is affected by territory. What is known for sure is that this giant invader has a ravenous appetite! alterations of habitats; changes in an ecosystem Measuring up to seven feet long and weighing more than 100 pounds, this squid has resulting from changes in been known to attack anything that moves with lightning speed and ferocious strength. climate, human activity, Sperm whales, sharks and seals may feed on this large animal, but the Humboldt squid introduction of nonnative feeds on almost everything else. They hunt shrimp, mollusks, lanternfish and other small species or changes in fish. Sometimes they even prey on other Humboldt squid. Traveling in groups of 1,000 or population size. more and swimming at speeds of more than 15 miles an hour, these animals hunt and

Energy in the Earth System feed together and use jet propulsion to shoot out of the water to escape predators. (Earth Sciences) Although they have been known to attack scuba divers, research suggests that these 5. (d) Properties of ocean animals are more curious than aggressive. Some scientists think that the squid’s water, such as temperature aggressive tendencies come out only when they’re feeding. and salinity, can be used to explain the layered structure Humboldt squid live at depths of between 600 and more than 2,000 feet, coming to the of the oceans, the surface at night to feed. They live for approximately two years and spend much of their generation of horizontal and short life in the ocean's oxygen-minimum zone, where very little other life exists. Because vertical ocean currents and they live at such depths, little is known about these mysterious sea creatures or the the geographic distribution of marine organisms. reasons why they’re moving northward.

The Fierce Humboldt Squid Educator Guide www.kqed.org/quest

VOCABULARY PRE-VIEWING

 What do you already know about Humboldt squid? Chromatophores  What do you think it would be like to encounter a jumbo squid? special pigment- containing or pigment- producing skin cells VIEWING FOCUS that enable an animal, NOTE: You may choose to watch the television segment twice with your students: once such as a squid, to to elicit emotional responses and get an overview of the topic and again to focus on facts change color and draw out opinions.

 What is the natural range of the Humboldt squid? What are the suspected causes of Ecosystem their recent range expansion? a community of living  How are Humboldt squid different from most other sea creatures? organisms and their environment  Describe how Humboldt squid use their tentacles to hunt and feed.  Why are fishery biologists so concerned about the invasion of Humboldt squid? How

Mesopelagic might these animals affect the ecosystem of the California Current? relating to or living at oceanic depths of For all media see: between about 600 feet  Segment Summary Student Sheet and 3,000 feet http://www.kqed.org/quest/downloads/QUEST_SegSum_StudentSheet.pdf  Personal Response Student Sheet http://www.kqed.org/quest/downloads/QUEST_PersResp_StudentSheet.pdf Ocean Current the steady flow of LESSON PLANS and RESOURCES from QUEST, PBS and NPR ocean surface water in a particular direction Dancing with Devils Nature http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/encountering-sea-monsters/encountering-sea- monsters-dancing-with-devils/561/ Organism Expert underwater cameraman Bob Cranston talks about his encounter with the giant an individual form of Humboldt squid in this story from “Encountering Sea Monsters.” life, such as a plant, animal or fungus Humboldt Squid Makes Contact Nature http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/encountering-sea-monsters/video-humboldt- squid-makes-contact/1032/ Predator Watch the actual footage from Bob Cranston's encounter with the Humboldt squid in this an organism that lives video from “Encountering Sea Monsters.” by hunting, killing and eating other animals In Calif., A Rare Look at Humboldt Squid NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106747476 What do you think it would be like to see a Humboldt squid? In this July 17, 2009, Tentacles segment from NPR's All Things Considered, Dr. Nigella Hillgarth offers insight into the elongated, flexible appearance and behaviors of this unusual sea creature. limbs on some animals, such as the octopus or Jumbo Squid Invade California Coastal Waters NPR squid, used to grab, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123651136 Marine biologist Dr. William Gilly discusses the giant Humboldt squid in a February 12, grasp and feed 2010, story from NPR's Talk of the Nation.

Voracious Deep-Sea Bestiary Teachers’ Domain having a very greedy or http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.stru.bestiary/ What kinds of things lurk in the deep ocean? This document from NOVA describes some insatiable appetite of the sea’s most bizarre creatures.

Discuss The Fierce Humboldt Squid story on the QUEST Blog QUEST http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2008/03/26/quest-season-2-web-premiere-the-fierce- humboldt-squid/

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MORE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR USING QUEST MULTIMEDIA TO The Bay Institute ENHANCE 21st CENTURY SKILLS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING www.bay.org

California Academy of Why Use Multimedia in Science Education? Sciences http://www.kqed.org/quest/downloads/QUESTWhyMedia.pdf www.calacademy.org  Read about the importance of using multimedia in the 21st century Chabot Space and Science science classroom. Cen ter www.chabotspace.org How to Use Science Media for Teaching and Learning http://www.kqed.org/quest/downloads/QUESTMediaTips.pdf East Bay Regional Park  A collection of tips, activities and handouts to actively engage students Distric t with multimedia. www.ebparks.org

Exploratorium Science Multimedia Analysis www.exploratorium.edu http://www.kqed.org/quest/downloads/QUESTMediaAnalysis.pdf  Give your students the tools to recognize the purposes and messages of Girl Scouts of Northern science multimedia. California www.girlscoutsnorcal.org Create Online Science Hikes with Google Maps

Golden Gate National http://www.kqed.org/quest/files/download/52/QUEST_ExplorationCreation.pdf  Do you like the science hike Explorations on the QUEST site? Use this Parks Conservancy www.parksconservancy.org place-based educational guide to create similar science-based maps with youth. The J. David Gladstone Institutes www.gladstone.ucsf.edu OTHER WAYS TO PARTICIPATE IN QUEST Lawrence Berkeley N ational Laboratory www.lbl.gov

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www.kqed.org/quest Monterey Bay Aquarium www.mbayaq.org

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute www.mbari.org LISTEN

Oakland Zoo KQED 88.5 FM San Francisco & www.oaklandzoo.org 89.3 FM Sacramento

The Tech Museum of

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UC Berkeley Natural History Museums WATCH http://bnhm.berkeley.edu/ KQED Channel 9

U.S. Geological Survey www.usgs.gov

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