Colossal Squid Caught off Antarctica

In Antarctica’s Ross Sea, on February 22, 2007, a fishing boat caught what might be the worlds largest known Colossal Squid (larger than the giant squid). There are also some distinct differences between the colossal squid and the giant squids normally found, like this one having sharp hooks on some of the tentacles. I read my article at .

The Colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is heavier than the giant squid and has eyes as wide a dinner plates and sharp hooks on some of their suckers, probably used to kill and suffocate their prey. The new squid was estimated to weigh about 990 ponds and is 43 feet long, which is longer than the average school bus. The monster had become tangled while it was trying to eat some Patagonian toothfish that were already caught in the fishermen’s net. The crew then tricked the squid into the net fully and took about two hours trying to carefully pull it on the ship.

English: A piece of sperm whale skin with Giant Sq...

Giant squid, Architeuthis sp., modified from an il...

Colossal giant squid

The new animal was then frozen and placed in a massive freezer below the decks and transported to New Zealand where it is now awaiting scientific analysis. The first time this species was found was in 1925, but nothing was gained from it considering that the only remains of it were in a sperm whales stomach. There have been other sightings though, and the first colossal squid caught was in 2003, around the same region as this one. This squid is probably the first male that was ever discovered that was still intact and we hope to find more to come.

I chose to write about the colossal squid because I read before that there had only been one colossal squid caught before in history and not much is known about this specific “sea monster”. This was a rare and lucky find if you ask me because not many people even get the chance to see a colossal squid, much less catch one and keep it in good enough condition to study it. No one knows how long these squids have lived, they could have been here way back in the dinosaur times, or they could’ve only been around for the past few hundred years. They might even almost be extinct, but the only way to find out would be to study more of them and their way of life.

Colossal squid sighted near the Ross Ice Shelf on ...

English: Colossal Squid on display in Te Papa Muse...

Colossal Squid - Español: Calamar colosal