Q and A: Inside the Colossal Squid

April 30, 2008 -- In February 2007, a colossal squid eating an Antarctic toothfish was accidentally caught by New Zealand fishermen working in the Ross Sea.

The 1,102-pound, net-entrapped squid was already near death, but the fishermen didn't want to waste it. They hauled it onboard and managed to get it into their ship's freezer. New Zealand's Ministry of Fisheries later gifted the frozen squid to The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa.

On Monday of this week, the popsicle-like squid was removed from a freezer at Te Papa and placed in a saline solution to thaw. Discovery News' Jennifer Viegas spoke with the director of the squid project, Te Papa's director of Natural Environment, Carol Diebel, as she took a break after spending hours hovering near the marine monster.

Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News: Please update us as to what's happening now with the squid.

Carol Diebel: Although we started the thaw on Monday, the squid's tentacles and arms are still thawing out and its body is frozen in the middle. It is almost in a straight position, but not quite. We need to have the colossal squid perfectly straight so that we can take accurate measurements of it. We know that it is at least around 20-feet long, but we won't know precisely until the squid is fully extended.

JV: Could this be the world's largest known colossal squid?

CD: As far as we know, yes. Another colossal was caught in Russia, but little information was released about it. At Te Papa, we also have a colossal squid that was collected in 2003. It's close to 18 feet long and is not in as good of shape as the Antarctica specimen. We have it lying right next to the more recent acquisition, since we don't want to cut that larger squid up.

We're doing a lot of analysis on that 2003 squid so we can apply the anatomical findings to the better specimen. Not to confuse things, but we additionally have a giant squid, measuring just over 16 feet.

JV: Is the Antarctica squid in a state of perfect preservation?

CD: Nearly, but it did sustain a lot of damage from the fishermen's net as it was hauled onto the vessel. You know how you score calamari before you place it on the barbecue? Well, that's what the damage sort of looks like. The tentacles, which are covered with swiveling hooks, are all present, however, which is extraordinary, considering how they could have easily come off.

JV: Do you know the squid's sex?

CD: No, but if we have a male it would be the first male colossal squid ever collected. Nobody's ever even seen a male of this species. If it's a male we would suspect it would have a penis that was retracted way into the body of the squid. (Editor's note: Shortly after this interview, the squid was found to be female.)

JV: I've heard that this squid may have the largest eyes of any animal.

CD: Yes, and we can confirm that now. One eye is fully intact and one is damaged. We measured the intact eye and it is over 10.5 inches across -- about the size of a basketball. This is the first time anyone has even ever seen the eyes of a colossal squid. We therefore have brought in experts from Lund, Sweden, who will measure the lens optic tissue of the eyes. Their analysis should tell us how well this species sees, what wavelengths it can view and whether or not it has binocular vision.