List of colossal squid specimens and sightings
This []list of colossal squid specimens and sightings is a timeline of recorded human encounters with members of the genus Mesonychoteuthis, popularly known as colossal squid. It includes animals that were caught by fishermen, recovered from sperm whales and other predatory species, as well as those reliably sighted at sea. The list also covers specimens misidentified as colossal squid.
Overview
The colossal squid, which has a circum-Antarctic distribution in the Southern Ocean, is far less known than the distantly related, near-cosmopolitan giant squid. Though a substantial number of colossal squid specimens have been recorded, the vast majority of these are only fragmentary remains such as disarticulated beaks. Xavier et al. collated 188 geographical positions for whole or partial specimens caught by commercial and scientific fisheries, but very few mature animals have ever been documented. O'Shea & Bolstad found 11 reports in which adult or subadult specimens had been described, and mentioned that at least 7 additional, "similarly sized" specimens were known to them; McClain et al. stated that only 12 "complete" specimens were known.on 25 June 2005, possibly the first to be filmed alive. Note the uniformly dark skin pigmentation in contrast to the 2008 specimen.
The earliest known specimens of this species are two brachial crowns recovered from the stomach of a sperm whale in the winter of 1924–1925, on the basis of which Guy Coburn Robson formally described Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni in 1925. Apart from two partial specimens recovered from sperm whale stomachs in the mid-1950s—initially misidentified as belonging to the giant squid genus, Architeuthis —and a single juvenile individual of mantle length, little else was known about the species until additional specimens began receiving coverage in Russian-language scientific journals in the 1970s. In 1981, a Soviet trawler operating off Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, retrieved a complete specimen with a mantle length of and total length of from a depth of 750–770 m, which was later identified as an immature female of M. hamiltoni. It would be more than two decades before another giant individual was collected : in March 2003, a complete specimen of a subadult female was found near the surface in the Ross Sea. It weighed some, with a total length of around and mantle length of . A much smaller immature female was taken by trawl at depth off Macquarie Island the same year. On 25 June 2005, a specimen was captured alive at a depth of while taking Patagonian toothfish from a longline in South Georgian waters. Although the heavy mantle could not be brought aboard, the total length was estimated at around and the animal is thought to have weighed between . It was filmed alive at the surface.
in January 2008. Note the greatly distended mantle and oversized fins. The animal turned maroon upon being pulled to the surface, but soon returned to the pale pink seen here. It has been suggested that this might be the animal's typical colouration, with the more commonly seen reddish tones representing a stress response.
The largest known complete specimen of the colossal squid—and the heaviest recorded extant cephalopod—was a mature female captured in the Ross Sea in February 2007. Its weight was initially estimated at, its mantle length at, and its total length at . Once completely thawed the specimen was found to weigh, but to measure only in mantle length and in total length. It is likely that the specimen, and particularly its tentacles, shrank considerably post mortem as a result of dehydration, having been kept in a freezer for 14 months. Both this and the 2003 specimen received significant media attention and did much to bring the species to public prominence; the following years saw a number of individuals of the more commonly encountered giant squid misidentified as colossal squid.
Perhaps the best video of a live colossal squid is that of an animal recorded at the surface in the D'Urville Sea off Antarctica in January 2008. The squid was pulled to the surface feeding on a line-caught toothfish. The video is likely the first to show a colossal squid swimming freely, and records the animal performing a slow roll on its longitudinal axis. Initially light-coloured, the squid quickly turned blood red before returning to a light pink after lingering at the surface for a short time, thence slowly retreated to deeper water. Another giant specimen, a female measuring in total length and weighing, was recovered intact in 2014. It had eyes across—the largest ever recorded. Its [|3].5-hour dissection at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa was live streamed on YouTube.
Since then, several more colossal squid have been filmed or photographed alive at the surface. But as far as is publicly known, the colossal squid has never been observed alive in its natural, deep-water habitat, although a number of such recordings of the giant squid have been made in recent years. As such, it is the only known extant species of truly giant cephalopod that has never been filmed in its natural habitat.
List of colossal squid
Records are listed chronologically in ascending order and numbered accordingly. This numbering is not meant to be definitive but rather to provide a convenient means of referring to individual records. Specimens incorrectly identified as colossal squid are counted separately, their numbers enclosed in square brackets, and are highlighted in pink. Records that cover multiple colossal squid specimens, or remains of more than a single animal, have the 'Material cited' cell highlighted in grey. Animals that were photographed or filmed while alive are highlighted in yellow. Where a record falls into more than one of these categories, a combination of shadings is used. Where an image of a specimen is available this is indicated by a camera symbol that links to the image.- Date – Date on which the specimen was first captured, found, or observed. Where this is unknown, the date on which the specimen was first reported is listed instead and noted as such. All times are local.
- Location – Site where the specimen was found, including coordinates and depth information where available. Given as it appears in the cited reference, except where additional information is provided in square brackets. The quadrant of a major ocean in which the specimen was found is given in curly brackets.
- Nature of encounter – Circumstances in which the specimen was recovered or observed. Given as they appear in the cited reference.
- Identification – Species- or genus-level taxon to which the specimen was assigned. Given as it appears in the cited reference. Listed chronologically if specimen was re-identified. Where only a vernacular name has been applied to the specimen, this is given instead.
- ' – Original specimen material that was recovered or observed. "Entire" encompasses all more-or-less complete specimens. Names of anatomical features are retained from original sources. The specimen's state of preservation is also given, where known, and any missing parts enumerated.
- Material saved – Material that was kept after examination and not discarded. Information may be derived from outdated sources and therefore not current; the material may no longer be extant.
- Sex – Sex and sexual maturity of the specimen.
- Size and measurements – Data relating to measurements and counts. Abbreviations used are based on standardised acronyms in teuthology, with the exception of several found in older references. [|Measurements] are given as they appear in the cited reference, with both arithmetic precision and original units preserved.
- Repository – Institution in which the specimen material is deposited, including accession numbers where available. Institutional acronyms are those defined by Leviton et al. and Leviton & Gibbs . Where the acronym is unknown, the full repository name is listed. Type specimens, such as holotypes or syntypes, are identified as such in boldface.
- Main references – The most important sources, typically ones that provide extensive data on a particular specimen. Presented in author–date parenthetical referencing style, with page numbers included where applicable. Figures and plates are also indicated where present.
- ' – Less important references that merely refer to the specimen without imparting substantive additional information, except where such are the only available sources, in which case they are listed under 'Main references'. Includes possibly unobtainable sources such as old newspaper articles and television broadcasts.
- Notes – Miscellaneous information, often including individuals and vessels involved in the specimen's recovery and subsequent treatment, and any dissections, preservation work or scientific analyses carried out on the specimen. Where animals have been recorded while alive this is also noted. Material not referable to the genus Mesonychoteuthis, as well as specimens on public display, are both highlighted in bold, though the latter information may no longer be current.
| # | Date | Location | Nature of encounter | Identification | Material cited | Material saved | Sex | Size and measurements | Repository | Main references | Additional references | Notes |
| winter of 1924–1925 | north of Smith Island, South Shetland | From sperm whale stomach | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925 | Two arm crowns | Entire | BMNH 1926.3.31.28; syntypes of Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925 | Robson ; Lipiński et al. | Sweeney & Young ; O'Shea & Bolstad ; #Sweeney2017|Sweeney | ||||
| 2 | 1956/1957 | South Orkney Islands | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp.; Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925 | Head and mantle | Undetermined | HL: 30 cm; HW: 20 cm; ED: 16–17 cm; ?WL: ~12 m | Korabelnikov ; Yukhov | #SweeneyRoper2001|Sweeney & Roper | Initial identification by I.I. Akimushkin. From 15.8 m long male sperm whale. | ||
| 3 | 1956/1957 | South Shetland Islands | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp.; Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925 | Fin only | Undetermined | FL: 41 cm; FW: 48 cm; ?WL: ~10 m | Korabelnikov ; Yukhov | #SweeneyRoper2001|Sweeney & Roper | Initial identification by I.I. Akimushkin. From 15 m long male sperm whale. | ||
| 4 | 1970 | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire | Entire? | ML: 86 mm | McSweeny ; Voss | Clarke ; O'Shea & Bolstad ; Young & Mangold | Juvenile specimen. Upper and lower beaks described and illustrated. | ||||
| 5 | 1975 | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | "large specimen"; ML unknown | Klumov & Yukhov | Clarke | Upper and lower beaks described and illustrated. | ||||||
| 6 | 1980 | From sperm whale stomach | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire; "nearly complete", inner organs missing | Entire? | Female | ML: 125 cm | Voss | O'Shea & Bolstad ; Young & Mangold | |||
| 7 | 1980 | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire | Entire? | ML: 23 mm | Voss | Young & Mangold | Advanced paralarva. | ||||
| 8 | 1980 | From sperm whale stomach | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Several partial specimens | Entire | "large" | NMNH | Voss | O'Shea & Bolstad | One specimen a mature male. Brachial crowns according to O'Shea & Bolstad. | ||
| March 1981 | Lazarev Sea, off Dronning Maud Land, Antarctic at 750–770 m depth | By trawl | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire | Female | ML: 2.42 m; EL: 5.1 m | Remeslo ; Remeslo | Ellis | Caught by Soviet trawler Eureka. Photographed on deck by Alexander Remeslo. | |||
| 1982 | Not given | Not given | Mesonychoteuthis | Not given | Transverse slice of gladius | ML: "at least" 5 m | Wood | Bright | Wood provided the following details: "Dr Anna M Bidder of the Department of Zoology at Cambridge University, possesses a transverse slice of the pen of another Mesonychoteuthis which, judging by its width, must have come from a cranchid measuring at least in mantle length." The same information is summarised by Bright. | |||
| 10 | 1985 | at 2000–2200 m depth | Trawled in opening-closing net | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire? | ML: 1.05 m | Rodhouse & Clarke | O'Shea & Bolstad | ||||
| 11 | 1986 | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Lower beak | Entire? | Female | LRL: 7.10 mm; ML: 225.0 mm | Clarke | |||||
| 12 | 1986 | S. Georgia | From sperm whale stomach | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Lower beak | Entire? | LRL: 13.50 mm | Clarke | ||||
| 13 | 1986 | S. Georgia | From sperm whale stomach | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Lower beak | Entire? | LRL: 20.40 mm | Clarke | ||||
| March 2003 | Ross Sea | Found floating at surface, dead | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire; recovered in three pieces, later reassembled | Entire | Female | ML: ~2.5 m; WL: ~5.4 m; LRL: 37/38 mm; WT: ~300 kg | NMNZ | Griggs ; Owen ; O'Shea & Bolstad | Numerous media sources; Remeslo ; Remeslo ; McClain et al. ; Young & Mangold | Examined at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa by Steve O'Shea and Kat Bolstad, which led them to coin the name "colossal squid" for the species. | |
| 2003 | between Macquarie Island and Stewart Island, ~ south of New Zealand waters, at 1143 m depth | By trawl | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire | Entire | Female | ML: 0.9 m | Young ; Wassilieff & O'Shea ; O'Shea & Bolstad ; #SeaPicsNd| | by Steve O'Shea. | |||
| 16 | 2004 | "in upper slope waters of the Kerguelen Archipelago" | From stomach contents of 22 sleeper sharks | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | 89 beaks; 42 lower, 47 upper | Entire | LRL: 10.1–38.8 mm; LRL: 22.3 mm ±7.2 ; ML: 61–237 cm ; ML: 136 cm ±44 ; WT: 2.1–91.2 kg ; WT: 24.4 kg ±22.1 | Cherel & Duhamel | M. hamiltoni beaks were found in 61.1% of sleeper sharks examined. Beaks of this species accounted for 16.1% of total recovered cephalopod beaks. M. hamiltoni accounted for 52.0% of total reconstituted cephalopod biomass. | |||
| 25 June 2005 | "South Georgia waters" at 1625 m depth | Caught alive by long-lining fishing vessel; "caught on a number of hooks on a longline" set to target Patagonian toothfish | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire; alive | Head with tentacles and arms; mantle too heavy to bring aboard | WL: ~5 m ; WT: 150–200 kg | #Anon2005| ; O'Shea | Caught by longliner Isla Santa Clara. Five men, including the ship's scientific observer, attempted to bring the squid aboard. Paul McCarthy, the scientific observer, estimated the length and weight of the squid. Specimen was sent to King Edward Point Scientists for formal identification. Filmed at the surface by Ramon Ferreira Gomez; possibly first colossal squid to be filmed alive. | ||||
| 8 January 2007 | near Ross Ice Shelf | Caught by long-lining fishing vessel targeting Patagonian toothfish | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire; alive | None? | ML: | #Anon2007a| ; Clem | Photographed alive in the water holding onto a Patagonian toothfish. | ||||
| "early February" ; 22 February 2007 | Ross Sea | Caught while fishing for Antarctic toothfish | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire; alive | Entire | Female | EL: 10 m ; EL: 4.2 m ; ML: ~2.5 m; LRL: 41/42.5 mm; EyD: 30–40 cm ; EyD: 27 cm ; LD: 12 cm; WT: 495 kg | NMNZ | Anderton ; #Anon2007b| ; Griggs ; #Anon2007c| ; Black ; Atkinson ; #TePapa2008a|extensive official online coverage | Numerous media sources and ; McClain et al. ; Joseph | On public display. First mature specimen ever recovered and largest extant cephalopod scientifically documented. Caught by New Zealand vessel San Aspiring while fishing for Antarctic toothfish. alive at surface. Placed in cargo net and brought aboard using crane. Weight initially estimated at 450 kg, mantle length at 4 m, and total length at 8–10 m. Tentacles and eyes shrunk considerably post mortem. Thawed and examined by Steve O'Shea, Kat Bolstad, and Tsunemi Kubodera at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Featured in Discovery Channel program "Colossal Squid". | |
| 20 | 28 May 2007 | New Zealand? | From a research cruise | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Two tentacles | ML: 2 m | Bolstad | |||||
| January 2008 | D'Urville Sea, off Antarctica | Filmed alive at surface feeding on toothfish, which it released after being prodded with long pole; changed colour while lingering at surface, before slowly retreating to deeper water | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire | - | Estimates by eye-witness Alexander Vagin, quoted in #Anon2013| : ML: ~4 m; MW: ≥0.5 m; WL: >5 m | #Anon2013| ; Garland ; Bühler ; Millner ; Farquhar ; Mills ; Strege | Young & Mangold | Seen alive at surface by Russian scientists on South Korean research vessel during mission to study toothfish; by Istomin. Recorded in 2008 but only made public in 2013; widely reported in English-language media only in 2015. Specimen pulled from depths feeding on line-caught toothfish. Video shows squid changing colour from initial deep red to light pink. Widely misreported as "giant squid". | |||
| 22 | 20 March 2008 | Ross Sea | Caught by New Zealand research vessel Tangaroa | "colossal squid" | Several specimens | Juvenile | Atkinson | |||||
| 25 May 2008 | about 40 km off Portland, Victoria, Australia, at 556 m depth | Caught by trawler Zeehaan | "colossal squid"; "giant squid" | Entire; eyes, skin and fins intact | Entire | Female | EL: >12 m ; ?EL: 5.5–6 m; WT: 245 kg | Melbourne Museum, Museum Victoria | Burgess ; #Anon2008a| ; #Anon2008b| ; McNamara ; #Anon2008c| ; #Anon2008d| | Non-mesonychoteuthid. Misidentified as a "colossal squid" in some media reports. Reportedly largest recorded giant squid specimen from Australian waters. Capture of squid described by skipper Rangi Pene. Public dissection took place at Melbourne Museum on 17 July 2008, carried out by team of experts led by Mark Norman. | ||
| 23 | 2009 | Kerguelen waters | Found in stomach contents of sleeper shark | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Lower beak | Entire | LRL: 23.6 mm | Xavier & Cherel | ||||
| 24 | 2009 | Kerguelen waters | Found in stomach contents of sleeper shark | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Lower beak | Entire | LRL: 10.4 mm | Xavier & Cherel | ||||
| 25 | 2009 | Kerguelen waters | Found in stomach contents of sleeper shark | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Upper beak | Entire | URL: 27.7 mm | Xavier & Cherel | ||||
| 7 August 2010 | Houghton Bay, Wellington, New Zealand | Found washed ashore in stormwater channel, dead | "colossal squid"; "giant squid" | Entire; "in bad shape" | Beak; other remains left to the elements, washed out to sea around 3 pm | ?EL: 3.5–4 m | NMNZ | Harvey ; #Anon2010| ; Pollock | Non-mesonychoteuthid. Initially identified as a colossal squid by Department of Conservation Wellington area manager, Rob Stone. Correct identification by Te Papa communications manager, Jane Kieg. Te Papa only interested in beak for examination due to poor condition of specimen; probably attacked at sea. | |||
| 26 | 2 April 2012 | off Portland, Victoria, Australia | Found floating at surface, dead | "colossal type " | Entire? | ?ML: ~2 m ; ?MW: ~1 m; WT: 120 kg | Collins | Found by local fisherman and boat operator Bob McPherson while fishing for tuna in waters 700 m deep. | ||||
| mid-2014 | Ross Sea at 1200–1800 m depth | Caught by New Zealand vessel San Aspiring while fishing for Patagonian toothfish | "colossal squid" | Entire; tentacles missing | Entire | Female | EL: 3.5 m; WT: 350 kg; EyD: 35/37 cm | NMNZ | Bryner ; Farquhar ; Feltman ; #TePapa2014a|extensive official online coverage | Numerous media sources | Dissected on 16 September 2014 ; caught "a couple of months" earlier. Dissection led by Kat Bolstad and carried out by staff of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa with help of Auckland University of Technology. Eggs found in mantle. Dissection live streamed on YouTube for . | |
| 28 | 2015 | Ross Sea | Caught | Mesonychoteuthis | Entire; "very good condition" | Entire | ?EL: ~12 cm | NMNZ | #NIWA2015| ; #Anon2015| | Collected by NIWA during the New Zealand–Australia Antarctic Ecosystems Voyage. Frozen on board ship; later examined at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa by Kat Bolstad and Aaron Boyd Evans. Characteristic hook and sucker combination already discernible on arms. |
Abbreviations
The following abbreviations are used in the List of colossal squid table.Oceanic sectors
M. hamiltoni has a circumpolar Antarctic distribution.- SWA, Southwest Atlantic Ocean
- SEA, Southeast Atlantic Ocean
- SWP, Southwest Pacific Ocean
- SEP, Southeast Pacific Ocean
- SIO, Southern Indian Ocean
Measurements
- ED, egg diameter
- EL, "entire" length
- EyD, eye diameter
- FL, fin length
- FW, fin width
- HL, head length
- HW, head width
- LD, lens diameter
- LRL, lower rostral length of beak
- ML, mantle length
- MW, maximum mantle width
- WL, "whole" length
- WT, weight
Repositories
- BMNH, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, England
- NMNH, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- NMNZ, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand
Explanatory footnotes
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