Defrosting A Colossal Squid
Posted by Ross Rosenberg
Some webcam footage of the defrosting process being conducted on the half ton colossal squid caught in Antarctic waters in February 2007, and currently housed in a New Zealand lab. The entire process will take up to two day to complete in order to not damage the specimen, as thawing it too fast would mean that the outside would being to rot before the internal organs had fully thawed. Researchers will only have a short time to examine the corpse before it is placed in a preservative, during which time they hope to, among other things, determine the squid’s sex; although the apparent lack of a six and a half foot penis leads them to speculate that it is female. It seems like a logical conclusion. They will also be live webcasts spanning the entire project. After the examination is concluded the squid will be put on display at Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand’s national museum in Wellington.
Colossal Squid Thawing; Hints at Even Bigger Beasts [National Geographic News] : YouTube : Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Categories: Cephalopods, Phallology, Science, Tentacles, Clips
Posted at 9:48 am on April 30, 2008
4 Comments -
There’s a brilliant collection of photos of the squid and the defrosting process, to be found here: http://www.repubblica.it/2006/12/gallerie/ambiente/calamaro-gigante/1.html
Comment by Daria — April 30, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
It is not wise to defrost ancient squids.
Comment by eltiburo — May 1, 2008 @ 4:19 am
“Colossal squid are “active predators of fish,” Paulin said. “But at this size, they eat pretty much whatever they like.” ”
I’d imagine so!
-J
Comment by Jamie — May 1, 2008 @ 7:11 pm
Did anyone else hear a child screaming in terror from their speakers around two thirds of the way through that video, or am I simply high on my own toothpaste?
.. again.
Comment by Jakkar — May 2, 2008 @ 6:29 am