A monster colossal squid thought to weigh 450 kilograms (990 pounds) has been landed in Timaru by the Sanford deep sea fishing vessel San Aspiring. New Zealand fishermen have caught the squid as it swam for food in Antarctic waters. It took the fishermen two hours to catch.

The colossal squid, scientific name “Mesonychoteuthis Hamiltoni”, is the largest living invertebrate and may be the first mature male specimen to have ever been found. Its eyes are the largest ever on a living creature, the size of dinner plates. The colossal squid has two rows of rotating sharp hooks, as well as a large beak - said to be a lethal combination.
Large numbers of sperm whales have been found with scars on their backs, thought to have been caused by the hooks of colossal squid. But the sperm whale is one creature that is larger and more fearsome. The majority of partial colossal squid specimens, along with a sizeable number of beaks, have been found inside sperm whales’ stomachs.

Professor Paul Rodhouse, head of biological sciences at the British Antarctic Survey, says whalers also noted deep scars and circular marks around the heads of their quarry. But, he thinks that the stories about squid being a threat to men or fishing vessels are being exaggerated.

Professor Rodhouse is worried about the recent influx of fishing vessels into Antarctic waters that target Patagonian toothfish, the fish that the colossal squid was eating when it was caught. He says the fish is a major prey species for colossal squid. “The fish can grow to over 2 meters (6 feet) but it’s being overfished in many parts of the southern ocean,” he said. “Toothfish and these squid form part of a deep water ecosystem that we know virtually nothing about—yet were are already exploiting it with commercial fisheries.”

Encounters between these two gigantic Sperm Whale and the Colossal Squid are believed to result in battles of epic proportions. Alleged encounters with humans include:

• A giant squid and a French naval vessel encounter was the basis for Jules Verne’s “squid of colossal dimensions” which was featured in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
• Sailors attacked by a giant squid after their ship sunk during the Second World War. At least one sailor was supposedly eaten.
• French yachtsmen taking part in the appropriately named Jules Verne Trophy reported that a 26-foot-long (8-meter) squid clamped itself to their boat - this year.

LINKS:

1. Super Squid Surfaces in Antarctic
2. Colossal Catch caught of Antarctica - National Geographic
   
3. Wikipedia - Colossal Squid
4. “Colossal Squid” Revives Legends of Sea Monsters - National Geographic