14 DAY TRIAL // Just yesterday, a giant squid weighing an impressive 350 kilograms (a little over 771 pounds) was defrosted and autopsied by wildlife researchers in New Zealand.
The colossal marine creature is said to be the second biggest animal of this kind to have until now been captured and studied.
Thus, the largest squid researchers have until now had the chance to set eyes on was caught back in 2007 in Antarctica. This specimen, a male, tipped the scale at about 453 kilograms (some 1,000 pounds).
The world's second biggest squid ever
The giant squid that was autopsied in New Zealand this past Tuesday was pulled out of the waters of Antarctica's Ross Sea several months ago by a team of fishermen who were in the area looking to catch Patagonian toothfish.
The fishermen say that the colossal squid got caught in their lines at a depth of about 1,200 to 1,800 meters (roughly 3,940 to 5,900 feet). Almost immediately after setting eyes on it, the crew ceased all other operations, Business Insider reports.
Looking not to damage the specimen, the fishermen wrapped it in a tarpaulin shortly after getting it aboard. When returning to shore, they agreed to donate it to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa for research purposes.
Here, the massive creature was quickly put on ice so as to make sure that it would not decompose. It was only yesterday that researchers finally got around to defrosting it and closely examining it.
The autopsy revealed that the creature measured a whopping 3.5 meters (about 11.5 feet) in length. Its tentacles were fitted with rotating hooks and suckers, which the squid used to catch prey while swimming around in Antarctica.
Like all other giant squids, this specimen was found to have a total of three hearts. Of these, one served to keep blood flowing around its body, and the other two were in charge of keeping its gills healthy and active, experts explain.
The autopsy also revealed that the colossal squid was a female. What's more, it appears that it was getting ready to birth another generation at the time it was caught. Specifically, the specialists who carried out the procedure found several eggs inside its body.
Filming a giant squid's autopsy
Luckily for wildlife enthusiasts, this massive marine creature's autopsy was caught on camera. Even better, you can find the video embedded below this article, so you can see for yourselves how the procedure went down.
Mind you, the footage is nearly 4 hours long (seeing how big the creature was, there was plenty of work to do during the autopsy), so make sure you have time to spare before hitting the “play button.” Spoiler alert: the video is totally worth your time.
