WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Scientists on Tuesday dissected what is believed to be only the second intact specimen of a colossal squid ever discovered. Each of the 770-pound beast's eight legs was more than three feet long. It was hauled from a mile below the surface of Antarctica's remote Ross Sea. The female had been frozen for eight months before scientists at the Auckland University of Technology thawed it out, using a forklift to hoist it into a tank. "This is essentially an intact specimen, which is almost an unparalleled opportunity for us to examine," said squid scientist Kat Bolstad. "This is a spectacular opportunity." About 142,000 people from 180 countries watched streaming footage of the squid dissection on the Internet.
Rare 770-Pound Colossal Squid Dissected by Scientists
The 770-pound beast was more than three feet long and was hauled from a mile below the surface of Antarctica's remote Ross Sea.