Colossal Squid - Timeline

Timeline

• 1925 – Species was first discovered in the form of two tentacles found in the stomach of a sperm whale.
• 1981 – A Russian trawler in the Ross Sea, off the coast of Antarctica, caught a large squid with a total length of 4 m (13 ft), which was later identified as an immature female of M. hamiltoni.
• 2003 – A complete specimen of a subadult female was found near the surface with a total length of 6 m (20 ft) and a mantle length of 2.5 m (8.2 ft).
• 2005 – A specimen was captured at a depth of 1,625 m (5,331 ft) while taking a toothfish from a longline off South Georgia Island. Although the mantle was not brought aboard, the mantle length was estimated at over 2.5 m (8.2 ft), and the tentacles measured 2.3 m (7.5 ft). The animal is thought to have weighed between 150 and 200 kg (330 and 440 lb).
• 2007 – The largest recorded specimen was captured by a New Zealand fishing boat off Antarctica. It was initially estimated to measure 10 m (33 ft) in length and weigh 450 kg (990 lb). The squid was taken back to New Zealand for scientific study. A study on the specimen later showed its actual weight was 495 kg (1,090 lb), but it only measured 4.2 m (14 ft) in total length as a result of the tentacles' shrinking post mortem.