colossal squid

The colossal squid shares features common to all squids: a mantle for locomotion, one pair of gills, a beak or tooth, and certain external characteristics like eight arms and two tentacles, a head, and two fins.{{cite book |last1=Jereb |first1=P. |last2=Roper |first2=C.F.E. |name-list-style=amp |year=2010 |title=Cephalopods of the World |department=Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. |publisher=United Nations |volume=2 |pages=6–10 |url=http://www.fao.org/3/i1920e/i1920e00.htm}} In general, the morphology and anatomy of the colossal squid are the same as any other squid. However, there are certain morphological characteristics that separate the colossal squid from other squids in its family: the colossal squid is the only squid in its family whose arms and tentacles are equipped with hooks, either swiveling or three-pointed.{{cite web |website=Te Papa |type=blog |title=Hooks and suckers |via=Blog.tepapa.govt.nz |date=30 April 2008 |url=http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2008/04/30/hooks-and-suckers/ |access-date=2011-09-30}} There are squids in other families that also have hooks, but no other squid in the family Cranchiidae.

File:Calmarcolossal.jpg

Unlike most squid species, the colossal squid exhibits abyssal gigantism, as it is the heaviest living invertebrate species, reaching weights up to {{Convert|495|kg|lbs|abbr=on}}. For comparison, squids typically have a mantle length of about {{convert|30|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} and weigh about {{convert|100-200|g|oz|frac=2|abbr=on}}.

The colossal squid also has the largest eyes documented in the animal kingdom, with a diameter of {{convert|27|-|30|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}.{{cite news |last1=Ballance |first1=Alison |author-link=Alison Ballance |last2=Meduna |first2=Veronika |date=16 September 2014 |title=Colossal squid to give up its secrets |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/254685/colossal-squid-to-give-up-its-secrets |access-date=2 August 2015 |publisher=Radio New Zealand }}{{cite news |last=Black |first=Richard |date=30 April 2008 |title=Colossal Squid's big eye revealed |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7374297.stm}}

The squid's known range extends thousands of kilometres north of Antarctica to southern South America, southern South Africa, and the southern tip of New Zealand, making it primarily an inhabitant of the circumantarctic Southern Ocean.{{cite journal

|last1=Rosa |first1=Rui |last2=Lopes|first2=Vanessa M. |last3=Guerreiro |first3=Miguel |last4=Bolstad |first4=Kathrin |last5=Xavier |first5=José C. |name-list-style=amp

|date=30 March 2017 |title=Biology and ecology of the world's largest invertebrate, the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni): a short review |journal=Polar Biology |volume=40 |issue=9 |pages=1871–1883 |doi=10.1007/s00300-017-2104-5 |bibcode=2017PoBio..40.1871R |s2cid=15480545 |url=http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/518000/1/Rosa%20et%20al%202017%20-%20Biology%20of%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20largest%20invertebrate%20AAM.pdf}} Colossal squid are also often sighted near Cooperation Sea and Ross Sea because of its prey and competitor, the Antarctic toothfish.{{Cite journal |last1=Remeslo |first1=Alexander |last2=Yukhov |first2=Valentin |last3=Bolstad |first3=Kathrin |last4=Laptikhovsky |first4=Vladimir |name-list-style=amp |date=2019-05-01 |title=Distribution and biology of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni: New data from depredation in toothfish fisheries and sperm whale stomach contents |url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967063718303534 |journal=Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers |language=en |volume=147 |pages=121–127 |doi=10.1016/j.dsr.2019.04.008 |bibcode=2019DSRI..147..121R |s2cid=146043830 |url-access=subscription }} The region between the Weddell Sea and the western Kerguelen archipelago has been deemed a "hotspot" based on characteristics of the habitat.{{cite journal |last1=Xavier |first1=José C. |last2=Raymond |first2=Ben |last3=Jones |first3=Daniel C. |last4=Griffiths |first4=Huw |name-list-style=amp |title=Biogeography of Cephalopods in the Southern Ocean Using Habitat Suitability Prediction Models |journal=Ecosystems |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=220–247 |doi=10.1007/s10021-015-9926-1 |date=19 October 2015 |s2cid=14435325 |url=http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/508659/1/Xavier%20et%20al%20-%20Biogeography%20of%20cephalopods%20in%20the%20Southern%20Ocean.pdf }} The squid's vertical distribution appears to correlate directly with age. Young squid are found between {{convert|0|-|500|abbr=on|m}}, adolescent squid are found {{convert|500|-|2000|abbr=on|m}} and adult squid are found primarily within the mesopelagic and bathypelagic regions of the open ocean.

File:Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni beak.jpg

While little is known about their behavior, colossal squid are believed to feed primarily on small fish, such as lanternfish and deep-sea smelt, which have been found as stomach contents in adult specimens.{{Cite journal |last1=Remeslo |first1=Alexander |last2=Yukhov |first2=Valentin |last3=Bolstad |first3=Kathrin |last4=Laptikhovsky |first4=Vladimir |name-list-style=amp |date=May 2019 |title=Distribution and biology of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni: New data from depredation in toothfish fisheries and sperm whale stomach contents |journal=Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers |volume=147 |pages=121–127 |bibcode=2019DSRI..147..121R |doi=10.1016/j.dsr.2019.04.008 |s2cid=146043830 |quote=A total of 107 M. hamiltoni stomachs (out of 849 examined) contained prey remains. These comprised remnants of small fish, some of which were tentatively identified as Myctophidae and Bathylagidae. Large fish scales were also observed, but no other remains facilitating exact species identification were found. No invertebrate remains were observed.}} They also attack larger fish; of 8,000 Antarctic toothfish brought aboard by trawlers between 2011 and 2014, seventy-one showed clear signs of attack by colossal squid.{{Cite journal |last=Remeslo |first=A.V. |last2=Yakushev |first2=M.R. |last3=Laptikhovsky |first3=V. |date=2015-11-10 |title=Alien vs. Predator: interactions between the colossal squid ( Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni ) and the Antarctic toothfish ( Dissostichus mawsoni ) |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00222933.2015.1040477 |journal=Journal of Natural History |language=en |volume=49 |issue=41-42 |pages=2483–2491 |doi=10.1080/00222933.2015.1040477 |issn=0022-2933}} A study in Prydz Bay region of Antarctica found squid remains in a female colossal squid's stomach, suggesting the possibility of cannibalism within this species.{{Cite journal|last1=Lu|first1=C.C.|last2=Williams|first2=R. |name-list-style=amp |date=June 1994|title=Contribution to the biology of squid in the Prydz Bay region, Antarctica |journal=Antarctic Science|volume=6|issue=2|pages=223–229|doi=10.1017/s0954102094000349|bibcode=1994AntSc...6..223L|s2cid=130139281 }} Studies measuring the δ¹⁵N content of the chitinous beaks of cephalopods to determine trophic ecology levels have demonstrated that the colossal squid is a top predator that is positively correlated with its increased size.{{Cite journal |last1=Cherel |first1=Yves |last2=Hobson |first2=Keith A |date=2005-08-07 |title=Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=272 |issue=1572 |pages=1601–1607 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2005.3115 |pmc=1559839 |pmid=16048776}} This new confirmation of the colossal squid's trophic level suggests that it likely preys on large fishes and smaller squids, according to its size, and that its predators include sperm whales and sleeper sharks.

The colossal squid is thought to have a very slow metabolic rate, needing only around {{convert|30|g|oz|0}} of prey daily for an adult with a mass of {{convert|500|kg}}.{{cite journal |last1=Rosa |first1=Rui |last2=Seibel |first2=Brad A. |name-list-style=amp |title=Slow pace of life of the Antarctic colossal squid |journal=Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom |date=2010 |volume=90 |issue=7 |pages=1375–1378 |doi=10.1017/S0025315409991494|bibcode=2010JMBUK..90.1375R |s2cid=85063782 }} Estimates of its energy requirements suggest it is a slow-moving ambush predator, using its large eyes primarily for prey-detection rather than engaging in active hunting.{{Cite news|title = Huge 'monster squid' not fearsome|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8664000/8664542.stm|newspaper =BBC News |date = 7 May 2010|access-date = 2 August 2015|first = Jody|last = Bourton}}

Many sperm whales have scars on their backs that are believed to be caused by the hooks of colossal squid. Colossal squid are a major prey item for sperm whales in the Antarctic; 14% of the squid beaks found in the stomachs of these sperm whales are those of the colossal squid, which indicates that colossal squid likely make up 77% of the biomass consumed by these whales.{{cite journal | last1 = Clarke | first1 = M.R. | year = 1980 | title = Cephalopoda in the diet of sperm whales of the southern hemisphere and their bearing on sperm whale biology | journal = Discovery Reports | volume = 37 | pages = 1–324 }} Many other animals also feed on colossal squid, including the beaked whales, such as southern bottlenose whales, and Cuvier's and Baird's beaked whales. Other possible predators include the pilot whale, killer whales, larger southern elephant seals, Patagonian toothfish,{{Cite journal|last1=Remeslo|first1=A. V.|last2=Yakushev|first2=M. R.|last3=Laptikhovsky|first3=V. |name-list-style=amp |date=10 November 2015|title=Alien vs. Predator: interactions between the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) and the Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni)|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2015.1040477|journal=Journal of Natural History|volume=49|issue=41–42|pages=2483–2491|doi=10.1080/00222933.2015.1040477|bibcode=2015JNatH..49.2483R |s2cid=82152308}} southern sleeper sharks (Somniosus antarcticus), Antarctic toothfish, and albatrosses (e.g., the wandering and sooty albatrosses). Beaks from mature adults have only been recovered from large predators (i.e. sperm whales and southern sleeper sharks), while other predators only eat juveniles or young adults.{{cite journal |last1=Cherel |first1=Yves |last2=Duhamel |first2=Guy |name-list-style=amp |title=Antarctic jaws: cephalopod prey of sharks in Kerguelen waters |journal=Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers |date=2004 |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=17–31 |doi=10.1016/j.dsr.2003.09.009|bibcode=2004DSRI...51...17C }}

Not much is known about the colossal squid's reproductive cycle, although it does have two distinct sexes. Many species of squid, however, develop sex-specific organs as they age and develop.{{cite book |last1=Jereb |first1=P |last2=Roper |first2=C.F.E. |name-list-style=amp |year=2010|title=Cephalopods of the world : an annotated and illustrated catalogue of cephalopod species known to date |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |isbn=978-92-5-106720-8}} The adult female colossal squid has been discovered in much shallower waters, which likely implies that females spawn in shallower waters, rather than their usual depth. Additionally, the colossal squid has a high possible fecundity reaching over 4.2 million oocytes, which is quite high compared to other squids in such cold waters. Colossal squid oocytes have been observed at sizes ranging from as large as 3.2x2.1 mm to as small as 1.4x0.5 mm. Sampling of colossal squid ovaries show an average of 2175 eggs per gram. Young squid are thought to spawn near the summer time at surface temperatures of {{convert|-0.9-0|C|F}}.

For pelagic organisms of similar weight to the colossal squid, such as the swordfish, the average eye diameter required for visual detection is 10 cm, but the colossal squid's are as large as {{convert|30|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}.{{Cite journal |last1=Nilsson |first1=Dan-Eric |last2=Warrant |first2=Eric J. |last3=Johnsen |first3=Sönke |last4=Hanlon |first4=Roger |last5=Shashar |first5=Nadav |name-list-style=amp |date=2012-04-24 |title=A Unique Advantage for Giant Eyes in Giant Squid |journal=Current Biology |language=en |volume=22 |issue=8 |pages=683–688 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2012.02.031 |pmid=22425154 |s2cid=6119783 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2012CBio...22..683N }}{{Cite journal |last1=Nilsson |first1=Dan-E |last2=Warrant |first2=Eric J. |last3=Johnsen |first3=Sönke |last4=Hanlon |first4=Roger T. |last5=Shashar |first5=Nadav |name-list-style=amp |date=2013-09-08 |title=The giant eyes of giant squid are indeed unexpectedly large, but not if used for spotting sperm whales |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |volume=13 |issue=1 |page=187 |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-13-187 |pmc=3854791 |pmid=24010674 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2013BMCEE..13..187N }} This allowed for an increase in visual detection strategies, including reduced diffraction blurring and greater contrast distinction, which must be extremely beneficial to the colossal squid to justify the large energetic expenses to grow, move, camouflage, and maintain these eyes. The colossal squid's increased pupil size has been mathematically proven to overcome the visual complications of the pelagic zone (the combination of downwelling daylight, bioluminescence, and light scattering with increasing distance), especially by monitoring larger volumes of water at once and by detecting long-range changes in plankton bioluminescence via the physical disruption of large moving objects (e.g., sperm whales).

The colossal squid's eyes glow in the dark via long, rectangular light-producing photophores located next to the lens on the front of both eyeballs.{{Cite journal |last1=Herring |first1=Peter J. |last2=Dilly |first2=P. N. |last3=Cope |first3=Celia |name-list-style=amp |date=September 2002 |title=The photophores of the squid family Cranchiidae (Cephalopoda: Oegopsida) |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1017/S095283690200122X |journal=Journal of Zoology |language=en |volume=258 |issue=1 |pages=73–90 |doi=10.1017/S095283690200122X |url-access=subscription }} Symbiotic bacteria reside within these photophores and luminesce through chemical reaction.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch-play/science/anatomy-colossal-squid/eyes-colossal-squid|title=The eyes of the colossal squid|date=29 December 2016}}

It is hypothesized that the colossal squid's eyes can detect predator movement beyond 120 m, which is the upper limit of the sperm whale's sonar range.

Squid have been found to detect the movement of sound waves via organs called statocysts (similar to the human cochlea).{{Cite web |title=Scientists Find that Squid Can Detect Sounds |url=https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/scientists-find-that-squid-can-detect-sounds/ |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=www.whoi.edu/ |language=en-US}} Squid statocysts likely respond to low-frequency sounds less than 500 Hz, similar to pelagic fish. Colossal squid are likely essentially deaf to high frequencies, such as whale sonar, so they rely largely on visual detection mechanisms to avoid predation.{{Cite journal |last=Partridge |first=Julian C. |date=2012-04-24 |title=Sensory Ecology: Giant Eyes for Giant Predators? |journal=Current Biology |language=en |volume=22 |issue=8 |pages=R268–R270 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2012.03.021 |pmid=22537628 |s2cid=16685449 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2012CBio...22.R268P }}

{{main|List of colossal squid specimens and sightings}}

The colossal squid, species Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, was discovered in 1925. This species belongs to the class Cephalopoda and family Cranchiidae.{{Cite web |title=ITIS - Report: Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni |url=https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=556403#null |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=www.itis.gov |language=en-US}}

In 1981, an adult specimen was discovered; in 2003, a second specimen was collected. Captured in 2007, the largest colossal squid weighed {{convert|495|kg}}, and is now on display at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.{{Cite news |last=Tapaleao |first=Vaimoana |date=11 August 2014 |title=Is it a boy? Te Papa gets new colossal squid |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11307332 |access-date=2 August 2015 |newspaper=New Zealand Herald |issn=1170-0777}}

Most of the time, full colossal squid specimens are not collected; as of 2015, only 12 complete colossal squids had ever been recorded, with only half of these being full adults.{{cite journal|last1=McClain|first1=Craig R.|last2=Balk|first2=Meghan A.|last3=Benfield|first3=Mark C.|last4=Branch|first4=Trevor A.|last5=Chen|first5=Catherine|last6=Cosgrove|first6=James|last7=Dove|first7=Alistair D.M.|last8=Gaskins|first8=Lindsay C.|last9=Helm|first9=Rebecca R.|last10=Hochberg|first10=Frederick G.|last11=Lee|first11=Frank B.|last12=Marshall|first12=Andrea|last13=McMurray|first13=Steven E.|last14=Schanche|first14=Caroline|last15=Stone|first15=Shane N.|last16=Thaler|first16=Andrew D. |name-list-style=amp |title=Sizing ocean giants: patterns of intraspecific size variation in marine megafauna |journal=PeerJ |volume=3|year=2015|page=e715|doi=10.7717/peerj.715|pmid=25649000|pmc=4304853|doi-access=free}} Beak remnants of the colossal squid are commonly collected; 55 beaks of colossal squids have been recorded in total. Less commonly (four times), a fin, mantle, arm or tentacle of a colossal squid has been collected.

The species was first discovered in the form of two arm crowns found in the stomach of a sperm whale in the winter of 1924–1925.{{cite journal|author=Robson, G.C. |year=1925|title= On Mesonychoteuthis, a new genus of oegopsid, Cephalopoda|journal=Annals and Magazine of Natural History|volume= 9|issue=16|pages= 272–277|doi=10.1080/00222932508633309}} This species, named Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni after E. Hamilton who made the initial discovery, was formally described by Guy Coburn Robson in 1925.

In 1981, a Soviet Russian trawler in the Ross Sea, off the coast of Antarctica, caught a large squid with a total length of over {{convert|4|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, which was later identified as an immature female of M. hamiltoni.Ellis, R. 1998. The Search for the Giant Squid. The Lyons Press. In 2003, a complete specimen of a subadult female was found near the surface with a total length of {{convert|6|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} and a mantle length of 2.5 m (8 feet 3 inches).{{Cite news|last=Griggs|first=Kim|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2910849.stm|title=Super squid surfaces in Antarctic|date=2 April 2003|newspaper=BBC News |access-date=2 August 2015|location=Wellington}} In 2005, the first full living specimen was captured at a depth of {{convert|1,625|m|ft|abbr=on}} while taking a toothfish from a longline off South Georgia Island.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sgisland.gs/pages/main/news23.htm|title=Very Rare Giant Squid Caught Alive|website=South Georgia Island|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605011459/http://www.sgisland.gs/pages/main/news23.htm|archive-date=5 June 2010|access-date=2 August 2015}} Although the mantle was not brought aboard, its length was estimated at over 2.5 m (8 feet 3 inches), and the tentacles measured {{convert|2.3|m|ftin|abbr=off}}. The animal is thought to have weighed between {{convert|150|and|200|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.

File:Colossal squid caught in February 2007.jpg characteristically inflated.]]

{{See also|Cephalopod size}}The largest recorded specimen was a female, which are thought to be larger than males, captured in February 2007 by a New Zealand fishing boat in the Ross Sea off Antarctica. The squid was close to death when it was captured and subsequently was taken back to New Zealand for scientific study.{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6385071.stm|title=NZ fishermen land colossal squid|date=22 February 2007|newspaper=BBC News |access-date=2 August 2015}} The specimen was initially estimated to measure about 10 metres in total length and weigh about 450 kg.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

Thawing and dissection of the specimen took place at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. AUT biologist Steve O'Shea, Tsunemi Kubodera, and AUT biologist Kat Bolstad were invited to the museum to aid in the process, joined by Marine Ecologist Mark Fenwick and Dutch scientist Olaf Blaauw.[http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/TePapa/English/CollectionsAndResearch/CollectionAreas/NaturalEnvironment/Molluscs/ColossalSquid/TePapaColossalSquid.htm Te Papa's Specimen: The Thawing and Examination] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080425235621/http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/TePapa/English/CollectionsAndResearch/CollectionAreas/NaturalEnvironment/Molluscs/ColossalSquid/TePapaColossalSquid.htm|date=25 April 2008}}. Tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved on 30 September 2011. Media reports suggested scientists at the museum were considering using a giant microwave to defrost the squid because thawing it at room temperature would take several days and it would likely begin to decompose on the outside while the core remained frozen.{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10430435|title=NZ's colossal squid to be microwaved|author=Marks, Kathy|date=23 March 2007|work=The New Zealand Herald|access-date=25 September 2011|archive-date=29 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929125549/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10430435|url-status=dead}} However, they later opted for the more conventional approach of thawing the specimen in a bath of salt water.{{Cite news|last=Black|first=Richard|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7367774.stm|title=Colossal squid comes out of ice|date=28 April 2008|newspaper=BBC News |access-date=2 August 2015}} After thawing, it was found that the specimen was 495 kg with a mantle length of 2.5 m and a total length of only 4.2 m, probably because the tentacles shrank once the squid was dead.{{Cite web|url=http://squid.tepapa.govt.nz/the-squid-files/article/how-big-is-the-colossal-squid|title=The Colossal Squid Exhibition – The Squid Files – How big is the colossal squid?|date=17 December 2008|access-date=9 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217062907/http://squid.tepapa.govt.nz/the-squid-files/article/how-big-is-the-colossal-squid|archive-date=17 December 2008}}

Parts of the specimen have been examined:

• The beak is considerably smaller than some found in the stomachs of sperm whales,{{Cite web|title = Colossal Squid Revealed|url = http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/20149975/colossal-squid-revealed|access-date = 2 August 2015|date = 14 October 2014|publisher =Radio New Zealand |last = Ballance|first = Alison}}{{Cite web|url=https://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2008/04/30/btw-its-agirl/ |title=Massive squid may be just a babe|work=The Star|date=30 April 2008 |location=South Africa}} suggesting that some other colossal squid are much larger than this one.
• The eye is {{convert|27|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} wide, with a lens {{convert|12|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} across. This is the largest eye of any known animal. These measurements are of the partly collapsed specimen; when the squid was alive, the eye was probably 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 in) across.{{Cite web|title = World's biggest squid reveals 'beach ball' eyes|url = http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Worlds_biggest_squid_reveals_beach_ball_eyes_999.html|website = www.terradaily.com|access-date = 2 August 2015|date = 30 April 2008|location = Wellington|publisher = AFP}}
• Inspection of the specimen with an endoscope revealed ovaries containing thousands of eggs.

Image:Colossal squid at Te Papa.jpg]]

The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa began displaying this specimen from 13 December 2008. The exhibition was closed between 2018 and 2019, but it was reopened for public viewing at Te Papa.{{cite web|url=https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/visit/exhibitions/te-taiao-nature/colossal-squid|title=The Colossal Squid |work=Te Papa|date=21 December 2015 |access-date=14 May 2019}}

In 2022–23 there were several attempts made by scientists, including an ocean exploration non-profit called KOLOSSAL, to find and film the colossal squid in its natural habitat for the first time to learn more about its biology and ecological behavior.{{Cite web |last=McGrath |first=Jenny |title=Scientists went on a hunt for the elusive colossal squid — and brought cruise ship tourists with them |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/cruise-ship-scientists-tourists-colossal-squid-antarctica-2024-4 |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Studying the World's Largest Invertebrate – the Colossal Squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni |url=https://experiment.com/projects/studying-the-world-s-largest-invertebrate-the-colossal-squid-mesonychoteuthis-hamiltoni |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Experiment – Moving Science Forward |language=en-us}} The science team used a tourism vessel{{Cite web |last=ECO |date=2022-11-22 |title=Expedition Launching to Study the Colossal Squid in Antarctica |url=https://www.ecomagazine.com/news/research/expedition-launching-to-study-the-colossal-squid-in-antarctica |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=ECO Magazine |language=en-gb}}{{Cite journal |last1=Graham |first1=Myrah |last2=Herbig |first2=Jennifer |last3=Jacobsen |first3=Eugenie |last4=Maldonado |first4=Tatiana K. |last5=Beck |first5=Jared |last6=Lackey |first6=Brent |last7=Mulrennan |first7=Matthew |date=2024-02-20 |title=New methods of undertaking marine science in Antarctica using tourism vessels |journal=PLOS Climate |language=en |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=e0000348 |doi=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000348 |issn=2767-3200 |doi-access=free}} to survey 36 locations throughout the Southern Ocean and may have filmed a small juvenile colossal squid for the first time. Researchers have confirmed that that video is of a species of glass squid, but due to marine snow, the footage has been harder to confirm without a DNA analysis, and may instead represent Galiteuthis glacialis or a new species of glass squid unknown to science.{{Cite web |last=Haro |first=Alexander |date=2024-05-30 |title=A Baby Colossal Squid Might Have Been Filmed for the First Time Ever |url=https://www.theinertia.com/news/colossal-squid-baby-footage-first-time/ |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=The Inertia |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Hakai |title=Visiting the Kraken at Home |url=https://hakaimagazine.com/news/visiting-the-kraken-at-home/ |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Hakai Magazine |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-05-29 |title="Mystery" Glass Squid In Antarctica Could Be First-Ever Colossal Squid Baby Filmed |url=https://www.iflscience.com/mystery-glass-squid-in-antarctica-could-be-first-ever-colossal-squid-baby-filmed-74424 |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=IFLScience |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-06-05 |title=For the First Time Ever, the Colossal Squid Might Have Shown Its Secret Face |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a60983175/colossal-squid-secret-face/ |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Popular Mechanics |language=en-US}}

File:Colossal squid - First confirmed live observation (Schmidt Ocean Institute).jpg

On 9 March 2025, for the first time, a confirmed colossal squid was filmed in its natural environment during an expedition near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. The squid, a juvenile measuring around {{cvt|30|cm|in}} long, was captured on video at a depth of {{cvt|600|m|ft}} by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian.{{cite web|url=https://schmidtocean.org/first-colossal-squid-footage/|title=First Confirmed Footage of a Colossal Squid—and it’s a Baby! |work=Schmidt Ocean|date=15 April 2025 |access-date=16 April 2025}}{{Cite news |last=Preston |first=Elizabeth |date=2025-04-15 |title=The First Ever Sighting of a Colossal Squid |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/science/squid-colossal-deep-sea-exploration.html |access-date=2025-04-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

The colossal squid has been assessed as a species of "least concern" on the IUCN Red List. Colossal squid are not targeted by fishers; rather, they are only caught when they attempt to feed on fish caught on hooks.{{cite web |title=Colossal Squid |url=https://oceana.org/marine-life/cephalopods-crustaceans-other-shellfish/colossal-squid |website=Oceana |access-date=10 March 2020}} Additionally, due to their habitat, interactions between humans and colossal squid are considered rare.{{cite web |title=Colossal Squid ~ MarineBio Conservation Society |url=https://marinebio.org/species/colossal-squid/mesonychoteuthis-hamiltoni/ |website=Marine Bio|date=18 May 2017 }}

• Giant squid
• Kraken

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite journal | last1 = Aldridge | first1 = A.E. | year = 2009 | title = Can beak shape help to research the life history of squid? | journal = New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research | volume = 43 | issue = 5| pages = 1061–1067 | doi = 10.1080/00288330.2009.9626529 | s2cid = 85883651 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2009NZJMF..43.1061A }}
• {{in lang|ru}} Klumov, S.K. & V.L. Yukhov 1975. Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925 (Cephalopoda, Oegopsida). Antarktika Doklady Komission 14: 159–189. [English translation: TT 81–59176, Al Ahram Center for Scientific Translations]
• {{cite journal | last1 = McSweeny | first1 = E.S. | year = 1970 | title = Description of the juvenile form of the Antarctic squid Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson | journal = Malacologia | volume = 10 | pages = 323–332 }}
• {{cite journal | last1 = Rodhouse | first1 = P.G. | last2 = Clarke | first2 = M.R. | year = 1985 | title = Growth and distribution of young Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson (Mollusca: Cephalopoda): an Antarctic squid | journal = Vie Milieu | volume = 35 | issue = 3–4| pages = 223–230 }}

{{Commons category|Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni}}

{{Wikispecies|Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni}}

{{CephBase Species|443}}

• [http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Mesonychoteuthis&contgroup=Cranchiidae Tree of Life web project: Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090418140844/http://squid.tepapa.govt.nz// Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa(Te Papa) Colossal Squid Specimen Information]
• [http://channel.tepapa.govt.nz/category/colossal-squid Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa(Te Papa) Colossal Squid Images and Video]
• [https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch-play/science/colossal-squid Tonmo.com: Giant Squid and Colossal Squid Fact Sheet]
• [https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/iphotosi-fishermen-haul-in-worlds-biggest-squid/S5IT4JWLF6QIMM6QCC6THRDSIQ/ New Zealand Herald: Fishermen haul in world's biggest squid]
• [https://www.usatoday.com/news/science/2003-04-03-squid_x.htm USA Today: Colossal Squid Caught in Antarctic Waters]
• [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2910849.stm BBC: Super squid surfaces in Antarctic]
• [https://www.marinebio.org/species/colossal-squid/mesonychoteuthis-hamiltoni/ MarineBio: Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q378330|from2=Q2345488}}

Category:Taoniinae

Category:Molluscs of the Southern Ocean

Category:Fauna of Antarctica

Category:Bioluminescent molluscs

Category:Cenozoic cephalopods

Category:Pliocene molluscs

Category:Cephalopods described in 1925