Skip to content

Giant Squids OF LOVE

2010-12-03 · John · watch on YouTube · Science & nature · explainer learning

From a Miami hotel where he is behind on his book draft, John explains what researchers think about giant squid mating (a penis that fire-hoses spermatophores into the female's arm) and suggests that the week's examples of inefficient mating show sex is not the most important thing animals do.

What is said

00:00:00 — In Miami, behind on 'NAFADOYBIMSCOM' (finishing a book draft); John as a giant squid of anger

  • ★★ John is in a Miami hotel rather than at home, unable to enjoy the beaches or art fairs because, though it is December 3, he still hasn't finished a draft of his book. — 00:00:03
  • ★ John calls himself a giant squid of anger over the unfinished draft, then sets it aside to talk about giant squids of love. (playful) — 00:00:20 · giant squid of anger

00:00:23 — Giant squid mating: hectocotylus vs a three-foot penis, spermatophores, the fire-hose hypothesis

  • ★★ John says that beyond giant squid mating he wants to discuss why he is so fascinated by the sex lives of species different from us. — 00:00:27
  • ★★ John says the giant squid is very secretive: we don't know what it eats, how deep it can dive, or for sure how it mates. — 00:00:36
  • ★★ John says most squid have eight arms, two longer feeding tentacles and one hectocotylus, a penis-like arm that the female breaks off during sex. — 00:00:50
  • ★★ John says giant squid have no hectocotylus but a three-foot-long penis, and like many invertebrates produce spermatophores, sacs containing sperm. — 00:01:05
  • ★ John says he has read so much about giant squid sex in the last 48 hours that he is surprised the hotel still lets him use the internet. (playful) — 00:01:24
  • ★★ John says researchers hypothesise that the male giant squid's penis shoots a spermatophore into the female's arm like a fire hose. — 00:01:28
  • ★★ John says female giant squid are much larger, and biologists think the male penis is so long so males need not get too close to females. — 00:01:53

00:02:03 — Why mating is so inefficient: evolutionary trade-offs; sex is not the most important thing animals do; sign-off

  • ★★ John, saying he is no expert, finds fire-hosing spermatophores into a female's arm an unpleasant and inefficient way to reproduce, and wonders why squid haven't found a better way. (hedged) — 00:02:03
  • ★★★ John asks whether, from an evolutionary perspective, an efficient mating system helps a species more than other adaptations, such as the giant squid's huge eye. — 00:02:12
  • ★★ John says giant squid have an eye a foot wide. (playful) — 00:02:21
  • ★★★ John says the week's many examples of incredibly inefficient mating suggest sex is not actually the most important thing animals, including humans, do. (hedged) — 00:02:26

00:02:45 — Space pasta result: Nerdfighters earn the right to challenge the brothers; Stanage caveat; ask for challenge suggestions

  • ★★ John tells Nerdfighters that because they proved space pasta far less efficient than Earth beef, they now get to challenge the brothers to do something difficult and/or horrible. — 00:02:45 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ John notes a Nerdfighter named Stanage found space pasta might beat Earth beef if the space shuttle rather than Apollo 11 picked it up, provided pasta were already on the Moon, which as far as we know it isn't. (hedged) — 00:02:56
  • ★★ John asks Nerdfighters to leave challenge suggestions in the comments and upvote their favourites. — 00:03:11 · Nerdfighteria

Humor (significant)

  • John spells out his invented deadline month for finishing the book draft. — 00:00:14 > «NAtional Finish A Draft Of Your Book I Mean Seriously Come On Month!»
  • Frustrated that his book draft is still unfinished in December, John explodes. — 00:00:20 > «I'm a giant squid of anger!»
  • John says he has read so much about giant squid sex in the last 48 hours that he is surprised... — 00:01:28 > «hotel still lets me have internet»
  • After arguing sex may not be the most important thing animals do, John gives the lesson to the squid. — 00:02:40 > «that is one thing giant squids are trying to tell us»

Threads in this video

BR2_a2da10aa95