Colossal Squid vs Giant Squid

Yahoo's Oddly Enough had an interesting story by Graeme Peters from UK Reuters.... A Colossal Squid was caught by fishermen near Antarctica. I had never heard of this animal before, have you? (I was so surprised that I checked to make sure the date on this wasn't April 1st!)

Here are some highlights:
"The half-grown female colossal squid is only the second intact example of the monster cephalopod known to have been found, said marine biologist Steve O'Shea of New Zealand's national museum.

"The body of the colossal squid is much bigger than the giant squid, which can weigh up to 900 kg (2,000 lb) when fully grown. A giant squid's tentacles can be up to 13 metres (43 ft) long, compared with 5 metres (16 ft) on the recovered creature.

"Comparisons are difficult because of the colossal squid's hostile environment and rarity. Five of the six previous discoveries have only been pieces inside sperm whale stomachs.

"American marine biologist Kat Bolstad said the colossal squid was a more dangerous animal than the giant squid.

"This is a very aggressive animal and moves quickly. If you fell in the water next to it you would be in big trouble...."


Rare Colossal Squid Found