|
Largest squid in the world caught
IT
weighs 450 kilograms, is 10 meters in length and has
eyes the size of tires. It was caught by a group of
fishermen from New Zealand in the Antarctic Ocean,
who took it into port to be analyzed by scientists.
 It
is perhaps one of the largest examples of the
colossal squid ever captured intact, according to a
report in Spanish daily El País.
It
is hoped that the study of the creature will shed
light on the great mystery that still surrounds this
monster which, for centuries, has nestled in the
nightmares of seamen.
The
creature – a Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni – was still
alive and caught by surprise whilst eating a fish,
then subsequently brought to the surface where it
died, according to Jim Anderton, New Zealand’s
minister for fishing, quoted by the One News news
service. It took the crew two hours to bring it to
the surface from the depths of the Antarctic.
The
minister confirmed that the animal is now in New
Zealand and is the largest adult example to be
captured completely intact.
Colossal squids and their smaller relatives, as well
as sepias, belong to the family of cephalopods and
are one of the most mysterious of all deep-sea
creatures. They are able to reach up to 20 meters in
length, from the tip to the end of the tentacles,
and can weigh in at one ton. In reality, no one
knows for certain to what size they are able to grow
or their longevity, despite numerous studies carried
out to date on dead animals.
The
species was identified for the first time in 1925
but rarely have specimens been captured and even
less whilst still alive. The body is covered in
giant suction pads, it has eight arms and two
tentacles up to 10 meters in length. It does not
produce ink, an unnecessary feature in the murky
depths it inhabits.
It
also has the honor of possessing the biggest eyes of
any creature on the Earth: 25 centimeters wide, the
size of a human head. No less incredible is its
growth process: scientists believe that during some
stages of its life, it grows a centimeter a day. And
it is not edible: a stew of colossal squid would be
like intoxicating yourself with ammonia as there is
a high concentration of the substance in the
animal’s tissue.
|
