Colossal squid begins to thaw

Posted By Sara-Lise Haith on Tuesday Apr 29, 2008 @ 09:40 in Scuba

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BBC's Richard Black reports:

Technicians in New Zealand have begun to thaw a rare colossal squid specimen ( Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni), which was was caught in February 2007 in the Ross Sea.  The operation to defrost the 10-metre (34 feet) long, half-tonne squid began on Monday afternoon in Wellington following a postponement of 24 hours.

The animal is now sitting in a bath of salt water. Once completely thawed, they will begin to dissect it.

Not much is known about colossal squid, which appear to live largely in the cold Antarctic waters and can grow up to 15 metres (50 feet) long.  The first was identified first in 1925 from two tentacles found in a sperm whale's stomach.

Since 1925, only a few Mesonychoteuthis have been sighted, all in the seas around Antarctica.