full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Anna Rothschild: Why did it take so long to find giant squids?

Unscramble the Blue Letters


In 1873, two fishermen off the coast of Newfoundland glimpsed what they thought was a submerged shipwreck. But when they probed the mass, it moved— and huge serpentine appendages soon besieged their boat. One fisherman took an axe to the animal, and it disappeared in a cloud of ink. What remained were two long limbs— definitive evidence in a collection of clues that would only continue to grow.

Over time, it became clear that giant suqids were more than micayhtl msneotrs. People found sizable specimens washed ashore, caught in nets, and at the sea’s surface, and oebservd sperm wlehas with sucker-shaped scars and large bkaes in their stomachs. But it wasn’t until recent dadeecs that scientists actually found liivng giant squids in their natural habitat. So, what do we really know about these creatures? Well, ignireselttny, one thing we've gathered is that they might not even be the biggest squids out there.

Open Cloze


In 1873, two fishermen off the coast of Newfoundland glimpsed what they thought was a submerged shipwreck. But when they probed the mass, it moved— and huge serpentine appendages soon besieged their boat. One fisherman took an axe to the animal, and it disappeared in a cloud of ink. What remained were two long limbs— definitive evidence in a collection of clues that would only continue to grow.

Over time, it became clear that giant ______ were more than ________ ________. People found sizable specimens washed ashore, caught in nets, and at the sea’s surface, and ________ sperm ______ with sucker-shaped scars and large _____ in their stomachs. But it wasn’t until recent _______ that scientists actually found ______ giant squids in their natural habitat. So, what do we really know about these creatures? Well, _____________, one thing we've gathered is that they might not even be the biggest squids out there.

Solution


  1. beaks
  2. squids
  3. mythical
  4. interestingly
  5. living
  6. decades
  7. whales
  8. observed
  9. monsters

Original Text


In 1873, two fishermen off the coast of Newfoundland glimpsed what they thought was a submerged shipwreck. But when they probed the mass, it moved— and huge serpentine appendages soon besieged their boat. One fisherman took an axe to the animal, and it disappeared in a cloud of ink. What remained were two long limbs— definitive evidence in a collection of clues that would only continue to grow.

Over time, it became clear that giant squids were more than mythical monsters. People found sizable specimens washed ashore, caught in nets, and at the sea’s surface, and observed sperm whales with sucker-shaped scars and large beaks in their stomachs. But it wasn’t until recent decades that scientists actually found living giant squids in their natural habitat. So, what do we really know about these creatures? Well, interestingly, one thing we've gathered is that they might not even be the biggest squids out there.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
giant squids 6
giant squid 4
sperm whales 2
natural habitat 2
squid species 2


Important Words


  1. animal
  2. appendages
  3. ashore
  4. axe
  5. beaks
  6. besieged
  7. biggest
  8. boat
  9. caught
  10. clear
  11. cloud
  12. clues
  13. coast
  14. collection
  15. continue
  16. creatures
  17. decades
  18. definitive
  19. disappeared
  20. evidence
  21. fisherman
  22. fishermen
  23. gathered
  24. giant
  25. glimpsed
  26. grow
  27. habitat
  28. huge
  29. ink
  30. interestingly
  31. large
  32. living
  33. long
  34. mass
  35. monsters
  36. mythical
  37. natural
  38. nets
  39. newfoundland
  40. observed
  41. people
  42. probed
  43. remained
  44. scars
  45. scientists
  46. serpentine
  47. shipwreck
  48. sizable
  49. specimens
  50. sperm
  51. squids
  52. stomachs
  53. submerged
  54. surface
  55. thought
  56. time
  57. washed
  58. whales