The Colossal Squid
Fishermen in the Ross Sea hauled up the heaviest squid ever found, with an eye as big as a football.
What was reported
The colossal squid lives in the deep, cold waters of the Southern Ocean and for decades was known mostly from pieces found in the stomachs of sperm whales. In February 2007, a New Zealand fishing boat in the Ross Sea hauled up a nearly intact specimen that had been feeding on a fish caught on its line.
It weighed about 495 kg, making it the heaviest invertebrate ever recorded. Its eye, about 27 cm across, is thought to be the largest of any known animal.
Explanations offered
The specimen is now on display at the Te Papa museum in Wellington. In 2025 a research expedition near the South Sandwich Islands recorded the first confirmed video of a living colossal squid in the deep sea, a young one only about 30 cm long.
- When
- Caught in February 2007
- Where
- Ross Sea, Southern Ocean
- Witnesses
- New Zealand fishermen
- Status
- Confirmed
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