From across the forests and savannas, mountains, oceans, and skies of the world, welcome to a celebration of the animals that you know and love – it’s the …
The famed giant squid
Sailors have feared it for centuries! It gave us the legend of the Kraken! Put your tentacles together and give a round of applause for the GIANT SQUID!
The French vessel Alecton attempts to capture a giant squid off Tenerife in 1861. Attributed to the direction of Charles Bévalet. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Meanwhile, across town …
PSSST. Hey, over here. It’s great that we celebrate the animals that we know and love, but they aren’t the only animals in the world.
Many of the popular animals have unfamous cousins that are just as cool as they are. Come meet these cousins at the …
The colossal squid
The giant squid is a big deal, but it is not as big as the COLOSSAL SQUID!
Colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925, collected 2003, Ross Sea, Antarctica. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (M.160614)
Image: Colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925, collected 2008, Ross Sea, Antarctica. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (M.277964)
Why is the colossal squid as cool as the giant squid?
The colossal squid is the largest known invertebrate in the world. It can grow up to 46 feet (14 m) long and weigh up to 1650 pounds (748 kg). It has the largest eye of any known animal in the world – up to 16 inches (41 cm) in diameter.
Giant squid are the second largest squid species, weighing up to 600 pounds (272 kg). Female giant squid can get up to 43 feet (13 m) long and males up to 33 feet (10 m).
Giant squid have sharp teeth on their arms and tentacles for grabbing and disabling prey. Colossal squid are better armed than their “little” cousins. Colossal squid have sharp hooks on their arms and tentacles.
Hooks on the tentacles of a colossal squid. Image: Colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925, collected 2008, Ross Sea, Antarctica. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (M.277964)
Why is the colossal squid not as famous as the giant squid?
The giant squid has been known to people for centuries. The colossal squid was first discovered in 1925, and that was only from part of its arms found in the stomach of a sperm whale, its main predator. The first whole colossal squid was seen not that long ago, in 1981.
Giant squid live in oceans around the world. Colossal squid live only around Antarctica, which is probably why they were undiscovered for so long. Both giant squid and colossal squid did a very good job of evading scientists – the first photographs of live ones in the wild were taken in the 21st century.
Watch this animation about the world of the colossal squid from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa:
By David Brown
Additional resources:
Smithsonian Ocean: giant squid anatomy, ecology, behavior and evolution
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa: colossal squid resources, including an activity book
