[News]: Very Large Colossal Squid Caught

[Phil]

... a slideshow of the new Meso, with an interesting pic at the beginning...

Here's a screen cap of the new image if anyone has trouble running YouTube. Great find Clem.

 

[Tintenfisch]

The head on this animal looks incredibly strange. Articulation of the arms where they emerge from the crown is almost joint-like, area above what's left of the eye suggestive of a brow, giving it a nearly raptorial look.

Yeah, the head is tiny - it looks so much narrower than the mantle, especially in the second photo. That's quite different from the 2003 specimen and from most visual representations I've seen. Some other cranchiids have heads that are quite narrow, but big bulgy eyes that make the head appear about the same width as the mantle. Unless this Meso had big googly eyes, that exploded...

Eeeeenteresting.

 

[Phil]

Or maybe, just possibly, a different species Kat? Yes, I know, I know.....

 

[DocidicusGigas]

Oh my god. First those amazing Taningia videos and now this. I am so incredibly psyched-I've been almost wetting my pants with excitement. And you're right, the funding is going to come in like mad now-nothing like real-life sea monsters (bet you five dollars that the documentaries will be using that phrase) to captivate the public imagination!

 

[Cairnos]

The finding of this specimen may answer assorted questions, but it also raises some new ones.

The first I heard raised was "Where are we going to put a 450kg colossal squid?"

The second, raised by almost everyone in the office was "Can we go on a field trip to see it?" Alas the answer to that was no

Not that there would have been much to see except for a giant icecube at this point. Cant wait (though I suspect I will have to for some time) to see it, or at least decent pictures of it.

 

[Cairnos]

It's amazing what newspapers can do even with a press release in hand.

One English one has said that it was caught of the coast of the South Island. Which is true if you are willing to accept that Antarctica is 'off the coast of the South Island'. Of course going by that definition so are an awful lot of places

 

[Tintenfisch]

Or maybe, just possibly, a different species Kat? Yes, I know, I know.....

The thought did cross my mind, but maybe I've just been analyzing too many tiny differences in morphology and body proportions lately, trying to sort out the damn Onychoteuthis species . Mustn't be hasty, but we can ...

 

[Tintenfisch]

... 'off the coast of the South Island'. Of course going by that definition so are an awful lot of places

Yeah, like Australia!

 

[tonmo]

Excerpt from Dr. Steve's Giant Squid and Colossal Squid Fact Sheet:

Mesonychoteuthis lacks a hectocotylus – a specially modified arm used to transfer spermatophores to the female. As a rule, species that lack a hectocotylus have a relatively large penis, and presumably they use this organ directly to implant spermatophores hydraulically into the female. As no mature Mesonychoteuthis male or female is known, we cannot begin to guess how the monster does its business.

Does this mean that this specimen presents the first opportunity for us to better understand Mesonychoteuthis'... how shall I say... John Thomas?

 

[Cairnos]

Everything I've heard since they pulled it up suggests it was entirely intact. So unless that particular bit happened to drop off for some reason just before it came on board everything should be present and accounted for.

 

[Aquataholic420]

wish it wasnt killed..

 

[monty]

to TONMO, Cairnos! Since your profile says you're with the ministry, I'm wondering if you have any inside scoop... I'm very curious if the eyes are in good condition, and if there are any other pictures available, and if there are higher-res versions of the pics from the press release... also, Reuters seems to have an extra pic in their slideshow video that's not part of any press stills package, and that's the one that's might show an eye... Any idea if we could get those sorts of this here on TONMO?

Of course, your profile doesn't say if you really have any connections, so I apologize if I'm being inappropriately enthusiastic, and you're just an interested squid-fan who happens to work at the Ministry...

But I'm glad to see you here, in any case

 

[Steve O'Shea]

But I'm glad to see you here, in any case

As am I!

What a day!

 

[sorseress]

Cairnos

 

[sorseress]

So, Steve, how long have you known about this?