Photo:
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.Environmental Graffiti is up for four bloggers’ choice awards. You can vote for us for best entertainment blog, best blog of all time, best geek blog and best animal blogger.
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squid_doctor says