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A Colossal Creature Of The Deep

By Joe McGowan

When fishermen on the Ross Sea were pulling in their catch last week, they noticed that something was attacking the fish. As they cautiously took a closer look, they saw a slimy, gooey, absolutely huge sea monster. It was, as they would later learn, a colossal squid.

First identified in 1925, the colossal squid lives in the freezing, dark waters of the Antarctic. It lurks about hunting for fish and penguins to eat. Scientists call it Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni (Mee-so-nee-koh-too-this ha-mil-toe-nye). The newly found 300-pound female, which is 16 feet long, is the largest ever to be captured in one piece.

A REAL SEA MONSTER

This "mother of all squids" looks like a creature from a science fiction movie. Its eyes--as big as dinner plates--are probably the largest in the animal kingdom. It has a tube-shaped body, called a mantle, that can grow to 13 feet long. That's nearly twice the size of a giant squid's mantle. When its sucker-lined arms and probing tentacles are stretched out, the colossal's total length can reach 35 feet. Even more alien-like, the squid has a razor-sharp beak and unique swiveling hooks on clubs at the ends of its tentacles. This combination allows it to attack prey and fight off predators like the sperm whale.

STAND BACK! IT'S ARMED AND VERY HUNGRY

Steve O'Shea, the marine biologist in New Zealand who first examined the new specimen, told TFK that the swiveling hooks are used to hold slippery food as the squid fills its powerful beak. "It's a nasty, aggressive squid, with seriously evil arms," O'Shea said. "It's like a giant cheese grater."

Only six colossal squids have ever been found--five of them inside the stomachs of sperm whales. The new specimen's size, says O'Shea, is what makes this catch surprising and important. "We knew they were big, but we had no idea they grew to this size," says a shocked O'Shea. "This shows how little we know about what's really out there--even in 2003 on our own planet."

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DID YOU KNOW?

• COLOSSAL SQUIDS' eyes can radiate light and glow in the dark. Scientists do not know how the squids use this ability.
• COLOSSAL SQUIDS have eight arms and two tentacles. Their tentacles are shorter than those of the giant squid, but the mantle, or body, is much bigger.
• COLOSSAL SQUIDS have a smooth, muscular exterior compared to the jellylike giant squid.
• COLOSSAL SQUIDS are preyed on by sperm whales, but the whales can't digest the squids' tough beaks. At least seven colossal squid beaks have been found in a single whale!

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