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The Colossal Squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, from Greek mesos (middle), onychos (claw), and teuthis (squid)), sometimes called the Antarctic or Giant Cranch Squid, is believed to be the largest squid species. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis. Though it is known from only a few specimens, current estimates put its maximum size at 12–14 metres (39–46 feet) long, based on analysis of smaller and immature specimens, making it the largest known invertebrate.

Anatomy and morphology

Unlike the giant squid, whose arm and tentacles only have suckers lined with small teeth, the Colossal Squid's arms and tentacles are also equipped with sharp hooks: some swiveling, others three-pointed.¹ Its body is wider and stouter, and therefore heavier, than that of the giant squid. Colossal Squids are believed to have a longer mantle than giant squids, although their tentacles are shorter.

The squid exhibits deep-sea gigantism. The beak of Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni is the largest known of any squid, exceeding that of Architeuthis (giant squid) in size and robustness. The Colossal Squid also has the largest eyes documented in the animal kingdom.²

Distribution

The squid's known range extends thousands of miles northward from Antarctica to southern South America, southern South Africa, and the southern tip of New Zealand, making it primarily an inhabitant of the entire circumantarctic Southern Ocean.

Ecology and life history

While little is known about the life of this creature, it is believed to hunt prey such as chaetognatha, large fish like the Patagonian toothfish and other squid in the deep ocean using bioluminescence. Based on capture depths of a few specimens, as well as beaks found in sperm whale stomachs, the adult squid ranges at least to a depth of 2200 metres, while juveniles can go as deep as 1000 metres. It is believed to be sexually dimorphic, with mature females generally being much larger than mature males, as is common in many species of invertebrates.

The squid's method of reproduction has not been observed, although some data on their reproduction can be inferred from anatomy. Since males lack an organ called a hectocotylus (a tentacle used in other cephalopods to transfer a spermatophore to the female), they probably use a penis instead, which would be used to directly implant sperm into females.

Many sperm whales carry scars on their backs believed to be caused by the hooks of Colossal Squid. Colossal Squid are a major prey item for Antarctic sperm whales feeding in the Southern Ocean; 14% of the squid beaks found in the stomachs of these sperm whales are those of the Colossal Squid, which indicates that Colossal Squid make up 77% of the biomass consumed by these whales.³ Many other animals also feed on this squid, including the beaked whales (such as the bottlenose whales), pilot whale, southern elephant seal, Patagonian toothfish, Pacific sleeper shark, and albatross (e.g., the Wandering and Sooty albatrosses). However, beaks from mature adults have only been recovered from those animals large enough to take such prey (i.e., the sperm whale and Pacific sleeper shark), while the remaining predators are limited to eating juveniles or young adults.⁴

Timeline

Largest known specimen

On February 22, 2007, it was announced by authorities in New Zealand that the largest known Colossal Squid had been captured. The specimen weighed 495 kg (1,091 lb) and was initially estimated to measure 10 m (33 ft) in total length. Fishermen on the vessel San Aspiring, owned by the Sanford seafood company, caught the animal in the freezing Antarctic waters of the Ross Sea. It was brought to the surface as it fed on an Antarctic toothfish that had been caught off a long line. It would not let go of its prey and could not be removed from the line by the fishermen, so they decided to catch it instead. They managed to envelop it in a net, hauled it aboard and froze it. The specimen eclipsed the previous largest find in 2003 by about 195 kilograms (430 lb),¹¹¹² although it is still considerably smaller than some estimates have predicted. The specimen was frozen in a cubic metre of water and transported to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand's national museum.¹³¹⁴ Scientists at the museum were considering using a giant microwave to defrost the squid because defrosting the squid at room temperatures would take days and it would be likely for the outside to rot while the core remains frozen.¹⁵ However, they later opted for the more conventional approach of thawing the specimen in a bath of salt water.¹⁶¹⁷ After thawing, the squid measured only 4.2 m (14 ft) in total length, with the tentacles having shrunk significantly.¹⁰ Although initially thought to be a male, closer inspection of the specimen showed it to be a female.¹⁸

Defrosting and dissection, April-May 2008

Thawing and dissection of the specimen took place at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa¹⁶ under the direction of technician Mark Fenwick, Dutch marine biologist and toxicologist Olaf Blaauw, AUT biologist Dr Steve O'Shea, Dr Tsunemi Kubodera, and AUT biologist Kat Bolstad.

Exhibition

References

^ Te Papa: Hooks and Suckers
^ ^a ^b Scientists focus on colossal squid's eyes Radio New Zealand.
^ Clarke, M.R. (1980). "Cephalopoda in the diet of sperm whales of the southern hemisphere and their bearing on sperm whale biology". Discovery Reports 37: 1-324.
^ Cherel, Y. & G. Duhamel 2004. Antarctic jaws: cephalopod prey of sharks in Kerguelen waters.PDF (531 KiB) Deep-Sea Res I 51: 17-31.
^ Robson, G.C. 1925. On Mesonychoteuthis, a new genus of oegopsid, Cephalopoda. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 9, 16: 272–277.
^ Ellis, R. 1998. The Search for the Giant Squid. The Lyons Press.
^ Kim Griggs "Super squid surfaces in Antarctic". BBC News, April 2, 2003.
^ "Very Rare Giant Squid Caught Alive" South Georgia Newsletter
^ "NZ fishermen pull monster squid from Antarctic deep", BBC
^ ^a ^b Atkinson, K. 2008. Size matters on 'squid row' (+photos, video). The New Zealand Herald, May 1, 2008.
^ "NZ's colossal squid to be microwaved" The New Zealand Herald
^ "New giant squid predator found". Retrieved on 14 February, 2007.
^ "Colossal squid may be headed for the oven in New Zealand", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), March 22, 2007.
^ Kim Griggs, "Colossal squid's headache for science", BBC News, March 15, 2007.
^ Record Giant Squid Put on Ice
^ ^a ^b Te Papa's Specimen: The Thawing and Examination
^ Richard Black "Colossal squid out of the freezer". BBC News, April 26, 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c Richard Black "Colossal squid's big eye revealed". BBC News, April 30, 2008.
^ ^a ^b Thawing colossal squid continues to reveal information Radio New Zealand.
^ ^a ^b Massive squid may be just a babe The Star, South Africa.
^ World's biggest squid reveals 'beach ball' eyes AFP, via Google.
^ Te Papa's Blog entry. 5 September 2008

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