ON THE GIANT OCTOPUS (OCTOPUS-GIGANTEUS) AND THE BERMUDA-BLOB - HOMAGE TO VERRILL,A.E

We have obtained samples of two large carcasses. One washed up on a be ach in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1896 and has been occasionally attri buted to a species of gigantic octopus (Octopus giganteus). The other carcass washed up on Bermuda in 1988 and has remained unidentified, al though its gross morphology, except for a much smaller total mass, was remarkably similar to the Florida carcass. We have subjected both sam ples to electron microscopic and biochemical analyses. Our results sho w that both carcasses are masses of virtually pure collagen. Furthermo re, neither sample has the biochemical characteristics of invertebrate collagen, nor the collagen fiber arrangement of octopus mantle. Inste ad, they are large pieces of vertebrate skin, the Bermuda sample from a poikilotherm and the Florida sample from a huge homiotherm. We concl ude that there is no evidence to support the existence of Octopus giga nteus.