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kiwiLB57
02-22-2007, 05:36 AM
Sets the bar for what is considered truly "Colossal".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6385071.stm (link here)


NZ fishermen land colossal squid
New Zealand fishermen have caught what is expected to be a world-record-breaking colossal squid.
Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said the squid, weighing an estimated 450kg (990lb),took two hours to land in Antarctic waters.

Local news said the Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni was about 10m (33ft) long, and was the first adult colossal squid landed intact.

One expert said calamari rings made from it would be like tractor tyres.

"I can assure you that this is going to draw phenomenal interest. It is truly amazing," Steve O'Shea from Auckland's University of Technology told local media.

Colossal squid, which are found deep in Antarctic waters, are thought to be about the same length as giant squid (Architeutis dux) but are much heavier.

The species was first identified in 1925, but very few specimens have been found.

The first specimen recovered intact, a 150kg (330lb) immature female, was caught on the surface in the Ross Sea near the Antarctic coast in April 2004.

'Nearly dead'

Mr Anderton said the fishermen had been fishing for Patagonian toothfish in deep Antarctic waters when the squid - which was eating a toothfish - was caught.

"The squid was almost dead when it reached the surface, and the careful work of the crew was paramount in getting this specimen aboard in good condition," he said.

The squid was frozen in the ship's hull and brought back to New Zealand for scientific examination.

"The colossal squid has just arrived in New Zealand and it is likely that it is the first intact adult male colossal squid to ever be successfully landed," Mr Anderton said
KevinNU7
02-22-2007, 07:52 AM
I read this on another board and hurried over here. Glad to see the thread was already created
dacman
02-22-2007, 08:13 AM
Flying Spaghetti Monster my ass. All hail the Colossal Squid!
Subby
02-22-2007, 08:26 AM
pics plz k thx

bye!
Coffee Warlord
02-22-2007, 08:33 AM
All hail the Second Coming of the Colossal Squid!
Honolulu_Blue
02-22-2007, 08:53 AM
pics plz k thx

bye!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/sci_nat_enl_1172138091/img/1.jpg

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42600000/jpg/_42600139_squid203.jpg

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42569000/gif/_42569339_colossal_squid_203x229.gif
lighthousekeeper
02-22-2007, 12:09 PM
wow - from the looks of the picture, I think that NZ fishermna must be about 50ft long.
kiwiLB57
02-22-2007, 01:29 PM
Well we do have quite the reputation, but I can't cop to 50 ft, that would be a slight exaggeration.
Klinglerware
02-22-2007, 01:54 PM
Hmm. I looked up "Patagonian Toothfish" on wiki, thinking that it would be something exotic. It turns out that toothfish is already marketed in the US as Chilean Sea Bass (while not so exotic, is still of course, somewhat expensive). I guess you learn something new every day. Who knew that it wasn't really a bass and may not even be Chilean?
dj_morton
02-22-2007, 03:33 PM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/sci_nat_enl_1172138091/img/1.jpg




That's a lot of bait!
Desnudo
02-22-2007, 03:40 PM
Hmm. I looked up "Patagonian Toothfish" on wiki, thinking that it would be something exotic. It turns out that toothfish is already marketed in the US as Chilean Sea Bass (while not so exotic, is still of course, somewhat expensive). I guess you learn something new every day. Who knew that it wasn't really a bass and may not even be Chilean?

part of Patagonia is in Chile. I guess toothfish would be a little bit of a harder sell than sea bass.
Klinglerware
02-22-2007, 03:50 PM
part of Patagonia is in Chile. I guess toothfish would be a little bit of a harder sell than sea bass.

True, though it looks like most of this stuff isn't caught around South America anymore because of overfishing...
cartman
02-22-2007, 05:34 PM
One expert said calamari rings made from it would be like tractor tyres.

I'm heading to Costco now for a 55 gallon drum of cocktail sauce.
sachmo71
07-07-2007, 08:22 AM
Ladies and gentlemen...the octosquid.

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/06/2111251&from=rss
MrDNA
07-07-2007, 09:02 AM
Note to self: avoid ocean.
Crim
07-07-2007, 02:18 PM
Ladies and gentlemen...the octosquid.

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/06/2111251&from=rss


It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed... bred for its skills in magic.
lighthousekeeper
07-07-2007, 08:07 PM
It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed... bred for its skills in magic.

gold
Ksyrup
07-11-2007, 07:09 AM
Here's a runner-up to the NZ Squid - merely a giant, not colossal:



Giant Squid Appears in Australia

Jul 11 07:49 AM US/Eastern


HOBART, Australia (AP) - A squid as long as a bus and weighing 550 pounds washed up on an Australian beach, officials said Wednesday.

"It is a whopper," said Genefor Walker-Smith, a zoologist who studies invertebrates at the Tasmanian Museum.

Giant squid live in waters off southern Australia and New Zealand—where a half-ton colossus, believed to be the world's largest, was caught in February. They attract the sperm whales (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=) that feed on them.

The dead squid, measuring 3 feet across at its widest point and 26 feet from the tip of its body to the end of its tentacles, was found early Wednesday by a beachcomber at Ocean Beach (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=) on the island state of Tasmania's west coast, the museum said.

The squid was expected to be taken to the museum, where DNA and other scientific tests would be carried out before it is preserved and possibly put on public display.

For anyone thinking of a calamari feast, Walker-Smith said giant squid (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=) contain high levels of ammonia in their bodies as a buoyancy aid.

"It would not taste very nice at all," she said.

New Zealand fishermen netted a 1,100-pound, 33-foot-long squid in the Southern Ocean (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=) in February. It is widely believed to be the largest specimen of the rare and mysterious deep-water species Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, or colossal squid (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=), ever caught.

Experts believe the creatures, which have long been one of the most mysterious denizens of the deep ocean (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=), may grow even bigger—up to 46-feet long.
kiwiLB57
07-11-2007, 05:43 PM
Here's a runner-up to the NZ Squid - merely a giant, not colossal:


Standard Aussie tactic, always trying to get one-up on us.

Guess that shows 'em who has the biggest squids then. That'll teach 'em.

kiwiLB57