The stream in the video above begins at around the 7:00 minute mark.
Holy mother of God, that is a large squid. It’s believed to be the second (intact) specimen of a colossal squid ever found. That’s not because they’re extinct, either. Colossal squids are exceedingly rare – so rare, in fact, that they are more well known as creatures of science fiction than real life. One of the theories floating around is that past sightings of the elusive creature gave rise to many of the tales of sea monsters like the Kraken, which makes sense, because the Kraken is basically a colossal squid, only a little meaner.
This one weighed in at 770 pounds, with each of its tentacles measuring just over three feet long, although two may have been nearly twice that length had they not been damaged. The eye measured at just over 35 cm alone, which is the size of a dinner plate, or an American-sized pancake. The female specimen was pulled in from deep below the surface of the Ross Sea in Antarctica, and was frozen for eight months before scientists thawed it out. Then they used a forklift to get its bulk into a tank where it could be easily examined.
“This is essentially an intact specimen, which is almost an unparalleled opportunity for us to examine,” said Kat Bolstad, a squid scientist (I’ll be she LOVES it when people ask her what she does for a living) that was involved with the dissection. “This is a spectacular opportunity.”
The dissection was streamed live to 180 countries, where over 140,000 people tuned in to watch. In the coming weeks, scientists at the Auckland University of Technology will decide whether to preserve the squid’s remains for public display. Incredibly, two of these enormous creatures have been caught by the crew of a ship called the San Aspiring. The first one was caught seven years ago, and is display at New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa.
Capt. John Bennett shows a colossal squid he and and his crew caught in Antarctica’s remote Ross Sea in December 2013. Photo: San Aspring crew of Sanford fishing company/Associated Press
