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Calimari-sicles for 10,000, please. Image from Hideki Saito

Scientists from New Zealand have begun the process of thawing and dissecting a squid corpse that they’ve kept in a freezer for the past year. It is huge, weighing in at half a ton.

The mysterious “colossal squid,” (the larger cousin of the giant squid), was caught last year by fishermen, who were obviously quite shocked to see such a beast in their nets.

This specimen, at 26 feet long and 1089 pounds, is a far cry from what scientists project to be a full size for the species– over 15m long.

The researchers, are planning to remove the beak, stomach, and sex of the animal before putting it on display in a tank of formaldehyde. Scientists are excited about the possibility of having found the fist-ever male of the species, and the largest colossal squid to have been examined to date.

Last year they were able to dissect a 660-pound female, the first foray into this rare species’ biology. The entire operation– thawing and dissecting the beast live– is available online here.

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