Architeuthis again (never a dull moment in New Zealand)

Tintenfisch said:
And the horror movie industry also missed out on recording the sound effect of a lifetime.

Did it go blekksprut?
 
That's a surprisingly good approximation, actually... :shock:
I hadn't thought of Norwegian as an onomatopoetic language before, but I am reconsidering.
 
Here are a couple of pics taken at the boat show last month (our stall isn't quite finished yet - it looked a lot better ... but the camera ran out of battery).

We reckon we spoke to 41,000 people that week!
 

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.... and after the boat show, we had to return the squid (we had on loan from the National Museum in Wellington) .... and this is how one transports a squid in New Zealand (I don't care to remember the number of times we've done this!).

(Sadly this is one of the pics lost in a server change over; it was of a squid on a trailer, towed, in the middle of a snow-covered central New Zealand plateau (the Desert Road).)
 
Hi Steve and Kat!!

Someone at work mentioned another squid had been found. Amazing pictures! And you mentioned mature.... Does that mean eggs? Can only imagine experiencing something that big splatting on the floor :yuck: ! Must have been quite a project getting it all up.....

Also, snow in July :shock: ??? Wow. Total opposite of here. When is your summer?

Carol
 
Steve O'Shea said:
Tintenfisch and I are fresh back from a secret location, having examined a most stunning, fresh Architeuthis caught ~ 5 days ago. I'd never seen a fresh one (as in one that had not been frozen first), and I was amazed at the difference! .... and we learnt lots of exciting stuff!

One thing is for sure. The theory that this animal migrates into NZ waters to breed is pretty solid.

Ja, another squid was taken recently (post above). We're in the midst of another small telly special (you'd probably know it by the name '60 minutes'); will probably air in NZ 17 August (they're waiting on 2 more pieces of footage/filming opportunities). Word came Friday last that a large squid had been taken and placed on ice; the ship returned the Sunday and unloaded Monday. So we darted down in the middle of the austral winter (yup, there's snow down here then) to return one squid and pick up another.

I was concerned that an animal having been on ice for 3 days might have rotted somewhat, but its condition was superb. The TV chaps got some pretty impressive footage (she was fully mature - ready to burst - at a mantle length of 1.8 metres) of this squid being uncovered in the fish hold, hoisted out onto the back of our truck, driven off, hoisted off the back of the truck onto some 'rolling tables' [the ones Kat had difficulty with], and then examined. Her stomach was empty. There was something rather unique about the way the eggs were released from the oviducts - I'll have to modify one of our theories a bit (re egg distribution in the large gelatinous egg sphere). But I don't mind modifying anything - it's all progress.

Cheers
O
 
..... and as a ps, the skipper, Kip, of the vessel said one of the crew had caught a squid that was truly of colossal proportions. I nodded my head (as I'm prone to doing) ... but Kip said there were photos. I nodded my head again. Kip called yesterday and said he now had the photos and did I want to see them. (He's a top bloke - invited me out to sea with him on the next trip ..... hmmmmm).

Anyway, photos en route of a truly humungously colossal squid. I wonder what it is? I might have to eat my words.
 
AAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :x

Oh, the suspense! How long can we wait to see these photos I wonder?

Mind you, how does one interpret colossal? Betcha its a Moroteuthis or something not uncommon that Kip does not recognise. Maybe I'm too cynical!
 
I put it down to too much vino being consumed aboard the vessel, but these guys were adamant that this thing was as 'wide as the bridge', and that the Architeuthis in the ice hold was a puppy in comparison. If this is true then there's something mean, ugly and ferocious down there :goofysca:

I'll get permission to post the pics as soon as I get them.
 
Steve,

"Down there," eh? Down deep, or down Antarctic? (If the location must remain secret, I'll certainly understand. I'm just making conversation 'til the photos show up.)

How far along into NZ's Architeuthis season are you?

Clem
 
We're 2 weeks into 'Architeuthis season' so far; to my knowledge there's been a single capture so far .... but over the next 6 weeks we should see a few more animals being caught.

I'm not too sure where this big, dastardly monster squid came from, but it is/was from New Zealand waters. I'm eager to see the pics myself.

Cheers
O
 
A Bigger squid I can hardly wait!!

as for the snow.............what snow? you guys need to come south for some REAL weather! We coulda built snowmen (sorry snowpersons!) on the beach a couple of weeks ago!

J
 
Well, the photos of this big, mean and nasty squid finally arrived. Tiz just a standard/mature female Architeuthis I'm afraid - not as big as was initially relayed.

Would have been nice to have found another monster!
 

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