Another big un!

The biggest squid ever caught, at up to 10 metres long and boasting a fearsome beak and razor-sharp hooks, may be small compared to others still lurking in the depths, scientists said. The colossal squid has begun a two-day thaw at The Museum of New Zealand in Wellington before it is examined in more detail Wednesday by an international team of scientists. It weighs 495 kilograms (1,090 pounds), has eyes the size of dinner plates and is estimated at up to 10 metres (33 feet) long. But that may be relatively small, scientists say after initial examination, suggesting other colossal squids under the chilly Antarctic waters might grow much larger.

On a museum blog following the progress of the thaw, said Tuesday that the beak of the colossal squid has been exposed as the flesh defrosts. The size of the lower beak — used to chop prey into bite sized pieces — is around 43 to 45 millimetres. Colossal squid lower beaks previously found in the stomachs of sperm whales have been as long as 49 millimetres. Extrapolating the relationship between the length of the beak and body size from another smaller specimen being examined suggests the species could grow much bigger. One of the scientists leading the examination, Auckland University of technology squid expert Steve O’Shea, said it was difficult to say how much bigger the monster squid could grow.

If the new specimen was cut into squid rings, they would be size of tractor tyres, although they would taste like ammonia. The colossal squid was caught as it ate an Antarctic toothfish hooked on a fishing boat’s long line in Antarctic waters in February last year. After being snap frozen, it was given to the museum, which has since been deciding the best way to defrost, examine and display it. Suggestions such as using a giant microwave to unfreeze it were discarded, and on Monday the squid was placed in a tank filled with cold salty water to ensure it defrosts slowly without decomposing. The squid is so large that there was a risk the outside flesh would start to rot before the inside had thawed. Defrosting is due to finish Wednesday when scientists will learn as much as they can before the squid is preserved in formalin to go on show in a massive tank at the museum later this year.