en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossal_squid
2 corrections found
located next to the lens on the front of both eyeballs
This misstates the photophores’ position. Te Papa’s anatomical description places each ocular photophore on the rear of the eyeball, beside the outer edge of the lens—not on the front.
Full reasoning
Te Papa, the museum that dissected and displays the best-known colossal squid specimen, gives a specific anatomical description of these light organs: "Each light organ is a vertical band on the rear of the eyeball, beside the outer edge of the lens." That directly contradicts the article's claim that they are on "the front of both eyeballs."
This is a concrete location error, not a matter of interpretation. The squid does have ocular photophores, but the cited anatomical description places them on the rear of each eyeball.
1 source
- The eyes of the colossal squid | Te Papa
Each light organ is a vertical band on the rear of the eyeball, beside the outer edge of the lens.
which is the upper limit of the sperm whale's sonar range
120 m is not the upper limit of sperm whale sonar range. The eye-size paper this topic comes from explicitly says sperm whale sonar exceeds 120 m, and later field studies report sensing ranges over 1,000 m.
Full reasoning
This clause reverses what the underlying research says.
The 2012 Current Biology paper on giant/colossal squid eyes states that giant squid could detect sperm whales at distances exceeding 120 m, and then adds: "Because the sonar range of sperm whales exceeds 120 m [3-5]..." In other words, 120 m was presented as a possible visual detection distance for squid, not as the maximum sonar range of sperm whales.
Independent later work on sperm whale echolocation is also inconsistent with the Wikipedia sentence. A St Andrews study reports that sperm whales are "potentially able to profile the vertical distribution of prey resources out to a range in excess of 1000 m". That makes the article's description of 120 m as the sonar's "upper limit" clearly incorrect.
2 sources
- A unique advantage for giant eyes in giant squid. | Scholars@Duke / Current Biology
We predict that, below 600 m depth, it would allow detection of sperm whales at distances exceeding 120 m... Because the sonar range of sperm whales exceeds 120 m [3-5]...
- Sperm whale echolocation behaviour reveals a directed, prior-based search strategy informed by prey distribution
Sperm whales are potentially able to profile the vertical distribution of prey resources out to a range in excess of 1000 m.