.:: New Zealand fishermen catch rare giant colossal squid ::.
Watch out for those while kayaking!
New Zealand fishermen catch rare giant colossal squid
Feb 22 7:41 AM ET
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A fishing crew has caught a colossal squid
that could weigh a half-ton and prove to be the biggest specimen ever
landed, a fisheries official said Thursday.
The squid, weighing an estimated 990 lbs and about 39 feet long, took
two hours to land in Antarctic waters, New Zealand Fisheries Minister
Jim Anderton said.
The fishermen were catching Patagonian toothfish, sold under the name
Chilean sea bass, south of New Zealand "and the squid was eating a
hooked toothfish when it was hauled from the deep," Anderton said.
The fishing crew and a fisheries official on board their ship
estimated the length and weight of the squid: Detailed, official
measurements have not been made. The date when the colossus was caught
also was not disclosed.
Colossal squid, known by the scientific name Mesonychoteuthis
hamiltoni, are estimated to grow up to 46 feet long and have long been
one of the most mysterious creatures of the deep ocean.
If original estimates are correct, the squid would be 330 pounds
heavier than the next biggest specimen ever found.
"I can assure you that this is going to draw phenomenal interest. It
is truly amazing," said Dr. Steve O'Shea, a squid expert at the
Auckland University of Technology. If calamari rings were made from
the squid they would be the size of tractor tires, he added.
Colossal squid can descend to 6,500 feet and are extremely active,
aggressive hunters, he said.
The frozen squid will be transported to New Zealand's national museum,
Te Papa, in the capital, Wellington, to be preserved for scientific
studies.
Marine scientists "will be very interested in this amazing creature as
it adds immeasurably to our understanding of the marine environment,"
Anderton said.
Colossal squid are found in Antarctic waters and are not related to
giant squid found round the coast of New Zealand. Giant squid grow up
to 39 feet long, but are not as heavy as colossal squid.
