The Colossal Squid (Mesonychoteuthis) is one of the genus of squid. It is the biggest squid in the ocean. It has the largest eye in the world. It’s a crimson squid with an enormous mantle.
Morphology[]
It’s tentacles have spinning hooks. It’s arms have some serrated cutting discs and most 3 hooked. The colossal squid is unlike most squid species, because it exhibits abyssal gigantism; it is the heaviest living invertebrate species, reaching weights up to 495 kg. For comparison, squids typically have a mantle length of about 30 cm (12 in) and weigh about 100–200 g (31⁄2–7 oz).
Distribution and habitat[]
It lives in the dark depths of the southern ocean.
Behavior[]
Little is known about their behavior because they live in the deep sea. However, the squids eyes can glow in the dark.
Taxonomy and history[]
The colossal squid, species Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, was discovered in 1925. This species belongs to the class Cephalopoda and family Cranchiidae.
Most of the time, full colossal squid specimens are not collected; as of 2015, only 12 complete colossal squids had ever been recorded with only half of these being full adults. Commonly, beak remnants of the colossal squid are collected. 55 beaks of colossal squids have been recorded in total. Less commonly (4 times), a fin, mantle, arm or tentacle of a colossal squid was collected.
Notable discoveries[]
First specimens[]
The species was first discovered in the form of two arm crowns found in the stomach of a sperm whale in the winter of 1924–1925. This species, then named Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, was formally described by Guy Coburn Robson 1925.
Entire specimens[]
In 1981, a Soviet Russian trawler in the Ross Sea, off the coast of Antarctica, caught a large squid with a total length of over 4 m (13 ft), which was later identified as an immature female of M. hamiltoni. This is a significant discovery, as it was not until 2003 that another full individual was discovered. In 2003, a complete specimen of a subadult female was found near the surface with a total length of 6 m (20 ft) and a mantle length of 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in). In 2005, the first full living specimen was captured at a depth of 1,625 m (5,331 ft) while taking a longline off South Georgia Island. Although the mantle was not brought aboard, its length was estimated at over 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in), and the tentacles measured 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in). The animal is thought to have weighed between 150 and 200 kg (330 and 440 lb).
Largest known specimen[]
This specimen, caught in early 2007, is the largest cephalopod ever to be recorded. Here it is shown alive during capture, with the delicate red skin still intact and the mantle characteristically inflated.
The largest recorded specimen was a female, which are thought to be larger than males, captured in February 2007 by a New Zealand fishing boat in the Ross Sea off of Antarctica. The squid was close to dead when it was captured and subsequently was taken back to New Zealand for scientific study. The specimen was initially estimated to measure about 10 meters in total length and weigh about 450 kg. The squid turned out to actually weigh 495 kg.
Defrosting and dissection, April–May 2008[]
Thawing and dissection of the specimen took place at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Auckland University of Technology|AUT]] biologist Steve O'Shea, Tsunemi Kubodera, and AUT biologist Kat Bolstad were invited to the museum to aid in the process. Media reports suggested scientists at the museum were considering using a giant microwave to defrost the squid because thawing it at room temperature would take several days and it would likely begin to decompose on the outside while the core remained frozen. However, they later opted for the more conventional approach of thawing the specimen in a bath of salt water. After thawing, it was found that the specimen was 495 kg with a mantle length of 2.5 m and total length of only 4.2 m, probably because the tentacles shrank once the squid was dead.
Parts of the specimen have been examined:
- The beak is considerably smaller than some found in the stomachs of sperm whales, suggesting other colossal squid are much larger than this one.
- The eye is 27 cm (10+1⁄2 in) wide, with a lens 12 cm (4+1⁄2 in) across. This is the largest eye of any known animal. These measurements are of the partly collapsed specimen; alive, the eye was probably 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 in) across.
- Inspection of the specimen with an endoscope revealed |ovaries containing thousands of eggs.
Exhibition[]
The specimen on display at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa began displaying this specimen in an exhibition that opened on 13 December 2008; however the exhibition was closed in 2018 and slated to return in 2019. The exhibition is now open again for public viewing at Te Papa
Second specimen[]
In August 2014, Te Papa received a second colossal squid, captured in early 2014. The specimen was also female, measuring 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) long and weighing approximately 350 kg (770 lb).