A bearded seal contained a surprise for some Hall Beach hunters on Tuesday: there was a squid in its stomach.
photo courtesy of Cain Pikuyak
The seal was caught not far from the community and the squid it had eaten was very small: close to three inches and weighing less than a pound, said Cain Pikuyak, who was hunting that evening with Ronald Piallaq, Jamie Audlakiaq and Isaiah Pikuyak.
Cain posted a few pictures on social media and received plenty of reactions. One person commented that he'd never seen one before. Another said squid are good to eat.
Someone else mentioned that there are Inuit legends about squid, warning children that if they are playing alone on the ice, one of those sea creatures can come up and grab them.
Squid are preyed upon by narwhal, beluga and seals, but little research has been done on squids' Arctic habitat, according to the Arctic Institute of North America, a non-profit research and educational organization that is a part of the University of Calgary.
