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Predator & Prey: Battle of the Leviathans . First installment in the Predator & Prey series. . For higher resolution images please check my flickr One of the most fascinating forms of predation in the natural world has never been seen by man but is often depicted in art. The contest of survival between the Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and one of its favorite preys the Giant Squid (Architeuthis dux) has long been of interest to me. In the inky blackness a Giant Squid propels itself along by expelling water through its funnel at the base of its mantle in a form of jet propulsion. The undulating fins at the top of her mantle allow for quick course corrections as she searches for prey The Squid is among the largest of her kind. Her mantle is 7 ½ feet long. She measures almost 16 feet from the tip of her fins to the ends of her 8 powerful arms. Her long feeding tentacles provide incredible reach to capture prey and bring her total length to an astounding 42 feet. For all her immense dimensions the giant cephalopod weighs a mere 600lbs. Near the surface a bull Sperm Whale begins a dive in search of squid. He is 15years old and travels with a small pod of males. At 40 feet in length and 19 tons in weight he is modest in size and will continue to grow until the age of 50. Mature bulls are typically 50-60 feet long and 45 tons. His massive head constitutes 25% of his length and his long slender lower jaw carries 40 conical teeth 8 inches long. He sends out powerful sonar blasts to scan the depths for prey constituting the loudest sounds in the animal kingdom. He is a true apex predator and fears no animal in the sea save man. As his massive tail flukes drive him deeper into the abyss his lungs collapse completely under the extreme pressures. Blood comprises 1/3 of his body weight and the high density of red blood cells transport oxygen to the critical organs including the largest brain in the natural world. In the darkness the Giant squid surges forward catapulting its long feeding tentacles aggressively at a deep-sea fish. The ammonium ion waste buildup in her tissues gives her neutral buoyancy allowing her to feed leisurely without danger of sinking. A sonic pulse temporarily stuns the squid and alerts her to the approaching danger. The young bull miscalculates his first strike and the Giant Squid turns aggressively to meet him climbing onto his head. Her tentacle clubs viciously tear at his skin with many suction cups ringed with teeth like a hole saw. She begins to bite at her nemesis with a 2-inch parrot like beak as well. In the faltering light of many tiny bioluminescent creatures the Giant Squids 10 inch eyes discern the overwhelming size and power of her adversary and she turns to flee. Sucking water into her mantle she prepares to jet away on a wave of muscle contraction. As the Giant Squid jets away the young Sperm whale readjusts its angle of attack and his lower jaw clamps down on a feeding tentacle and an arm capturing the cephalopod in a deadly grip. The battle of the leviathans rages on as survival begins to fade for the great invertebrate. This project has been in the works for quite a while. The Giant Squid was developed while I worked on The Omicron Weekend in early 2007 and no underwater scenes appeared in the final version to incorporate it. Always in the back of my head I wanted to build a Sperm Whale to tangle with it. An aborted underwater project, The Lord Mandrake Memorial Sea Tower, with Keith Goldman and Jon Palmer finally gave me the opportunity to start building one. With many starts and stops along the way as is typical of my work I finally finished this vignette. I’d like to personally thank Keith Goldman, Breann Sledge, Michael Rutherford, and Ley Ward for acting as a sounding board throughout the project. And Keith and Breann for providing some key parts.