Once more we can study also in this case how
Homo sapiens tends to behave when coming across closely related animals:
the characteristic neighourhood signals were a dozen bullets directed into the head of
the animal until it vomited blood and slime.
Remember, the big melancholic eyes are part of one of a most intelligent,
highly communicative animal. Creation left little choice to it: in order
to build up and maintain its impressive body mass it has to feed on myriads
of other marine beings with the final perspective of being devoured itself in return
in the end.
The giant calmar Architeuthis is one of the biggest
invertebrates, depending on the exact definition it is the biggest invertebrate
on earth or at least among the biggest, wheras the tardigrades are
among the smallest invertebrates. Calmar and tardigrade mark extreme values
one the animal size scale, so to speak relatives in extremity. But there are more parallels:
both live in worlds that are in fact inaccessible for man and both show extraordinary
characteristics. As an example we note one common property, the ability
to anchor strongly on wet surfaces. The calmar is able to grasp almost everything
by means of its sucker arms and some of the marine tardigrades have adhesive
organs as well which allow them to anchor on wet glass without problems.
Whereas the calmar uses vacuum Batillipes tardigrades apparently use
under water glue. By the way, the genus name Batillipes can be translated
from Latin as "shovel foot".
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