This list of colossal squid specimens and sightings is a timeline of recorded human encounters with members of the genus Mesonychoteuthis, popularly known as colossal squid. It includes animals that were caught by fishermen, recovered (in whole or in part) from sperm whales and other predatory species, as well as those reliably sighted at sea. The list also covers specimens misidentified as colossal squid.
The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni), which has a circum-Antarctic distribution in the Southern Ocean, is far less known than the distantly related, near-cosmopolitan giant squid (Architeuthis dux). Though a substantial number of colossal squid specimens have been recorded, the vast majority of these are only fragmentary remains such as disarticulated beaks. Xavier et al. (1999) collated 188 geographical positions for whole or partial specimens caught by commercial and scientific fisheries, but very few mature animals have ever been documented. O'Shea & Bolstad (2008) found 11 reports in which adult or subadult specimens had been described, and mentioned that at least 7 additional, "similarly sized" specimens were known to them; McClain et al. (2015) stated that only 12 "complete" specimens were known.
The earliest known specimens of this species are two brachial crowns (
It would be more than two decades before another giant individual was collected:[6] in March 2003, a complete specimen of a subadult female (
The largest known complete specimen of the colossal squid—and the heaviest recorded extant cephalopod—was a mature female (
Perhaps the best video of a live colossal squid is that of an animal (
Another giant specimen, a female measuring 3.5m (11.5feet) in total length and weighing 350kg (770lb), was recovered intact in 2014 (
Since then, several more colossal squid have been filmed or photographed alive at the surface. But as far as is publicly known, the colossal squid has never been observed alive in its natural, deep-water habitat, although a number of such recordings of the giant squid have been made in recent years.[18] As such, it is the only known extant species of truly giant (>50abbr=onNaNabbr=on) cephalopod that has never been filmed in its natural habitat.
Records are listed chronologically in ascending order and numbered accordingly. This numbering is not meant to be definitive but rather to provide a convenient means of referring to individual records. Specimens incorrectly identified as colossal squid are counted separately, their numbers enclosed in square brackets, and are highlighted in pink . Records that cover multiple colossal squid specimens, or remains of more than a single animal (e.g. two lower beaks), have the 'Material cited' cell highlighted in grey . Animals that were photographed or filmed while alive are highlighted in yellow . Where a record falls into more than one of these categories, a combination of shadings is used. Where an image of a specimen is available this is indicated by a camera symbol that links to the image.
Date | Location | Nature of encounter | Identification | Material cited | Material saved | Sex | Size and measurements | Repository | Main references | Additional references | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | winter of 1924–1925 | From sperm whale stomach | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925 | Two arm (brachial) crowns | Entire | BMNH 1926.3.31.28; syntypes of Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925 | Robson (1925:272, figs. 1–2) | Sweeney & Young (2003) | |||||
2 | 1956/1957 | South Orkney Islands (-59.6833°N -58°W) | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp.; Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925 | Undetermined | HL: 30 cm; HW: 20 cm; ED: 16–17 cm; ?WL: ~12 m | Korabelnikov (1959:103) | Initial identification by I.I. Akimushkin. From 15.8 m long male sperm whale. | |||||
3 | 1956/1957 | South Shetland Islands (-61.9333°N -91°W) | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp.; Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925 | Fin only | Undetermined | FL: 41 cm; FW: 48 cm; ?WL: ~10 m | Korabelnikov (1959:103) | Initial identification by I.I. Akimushkin. From 15 m long male sperm whale. | ||||
4 | 1970 (reported) | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire | Entire? | (juvenile) | ML: 86 mm | McSweeny (1970) | Clarke (1986:199) | Juvenile specimen. Upper and lower beaks described and illustrated. | ||||
5 | 1975 (reported) | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | "large specimen"; ML unknown | Upper and lower beaks described and illustrated. | |||||||||
6 | 1980 (reported) | From sperm whale stomach | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire; "nearly complete", inner organs missing | Entire? | Female (subadult) | ML: 125 cm | O'Shea & Bolstad (2008) | |||||
7 | 1980 (reported) | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire | Entire? | (larva) | ML: 23 mm | Advanced paralarva. | ||||||
8 | 1980 (reported) | From sperm whale stomach(s) | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Several partial specimens | Entire | "large" | NMNH | One specimen a mature male. Brachial crowns according to O'Shea & Bolstad (2008). | |||||
9 (https://web.archive.org/web/20160308174829/http://animal.memozee.com/ArchOLD-6/1172629237.jpg ) | March 1981 | Lazarev Sea, off Dronning Maud Land, Antarctic at 750–770 m depth | By trawl | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire | Female (immature) | ML: 2.42 m; EL: 5.1 m | Remeslo (2011) | Caught by Soviet trawler Eureka (Эврика). Photographed on deck by Alexander Remeslo. | ||||
1982 (reported) | Not given | Not given | Mesonychoteuthis | Not given | ML: "at least" 5 m [estimate] | Wood (1982:191) provided the following details: "Dr Anna M Bidder (pers. comm.) of the Department of Zoology at Cambridge University, possesses a transverse slice of the pen of another Mesonychoteuthis which, judging by its width, must have come from a cranchid measuring at least 5abbr=onNaNabbr=on in mantle length." The same information is summarised by Bright (1989:146). | |||||||
10 | 1985 (reported) | at 2000–2200 m depth | Trawled in opening-closing net (RMT8) | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire? | ML: 1.05 m | |||||||
11 | 1986 (reported) | (-47.85°N -41°W, WH 101 I/76) | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Lower beak | Entire? | Female (juvenile) | LRL: 7.10 mm; ML: 225.0 mm | ||||||
12 | 1986 (reported) | From sperm whale stomach | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Lower beak | Entire? | LRL: 13.50 mm | |||||||
13 | 1986 (reported) | From sperm whale stomach | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Lower beak | Entire? | LRL: 20.40 mm | |||||||
14 (https://web.archive.org/web/20120331094447/http://www.tekhelet.com/kitrossky/tekhelet_images/image016.jpg ) | March 2003 | Found floating at surface, dead | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire; recovered in three pieces, later reassembled | Entire | Female (subadult) | ML: ~2.5 m; WL: ~5.4 m; LRL: 37/38 mm; WT: ~300 kg | NMNZ | Griggs (2003) | Examined at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa by Steve O'Shea and Kat Bolstad, which led them to coin the name "colossal squid" for the species.[19] | |||
15 (https://web.archive.org/web/20101129102651/http://seapics.com/assets/pictures/094047-200-giant-colossal-squid.jpg ) | 2003 | between Macquarie Island and Stewart Island, ~140nmi south of New Zealand waters (-53.8217°N 163.44°W), at 1143 m depth | By trawl | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire | Entire | Female (immature) | ML: 0.9 m [when fresh] | Young (2003b) | Examined by Steve O'Shea (see also medial arm suckers). | |||
16 | 2004 (reported) | "in upper slope waters of the Kerguelen Archipelago" | From stomach contents of 22 sleeper sharks (Somniosus pacificus) | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | 89 beaks; 42 lower, 47 upper (minimum number of individuals: 49) | Entire | LRL: 10.1–38.8 mm; LRL: 22.3 mm ±7.2 [average]; ML: 61–237 cm [estimate]; ML: 136 cm ±44 [average]; WT: 2.1–91.2 kg [estimate]; WT: 24.4 kg ±22.1 [average] | M. hamiltoni beaks were found in 61.1% (22/36) of sleeper sharks examined. Beaks of this species accounted for 16.1% (89/553) of total recovered cephalopod beaks. M. hamiltoni accounted for 52.0% (1133621/2180535 g) of total reconstituted cephalopod biomass. | |||||
17 (https://web.archive.org/web/20070216144510/http://www.sgisland.org/images/main/news_07_05/GiantSquid2w.jpg ) | 25 June 2005 | "South Georgia waters" at 1625 m depth | Caught by long-lining fishing vessel targeting Patagonian toothfish; filmed and photographed alive at surface | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire; alive | Head with tentacles and arms; mantle too heavy to bring aboard | WL: ~5 m [estimate]; WT: 150–200 kg [estimate] | [Anonymous] (2005) | Caught by longliner Isla Santa Clara. Five men, including the ship's scientific observer, attempted to bring the squid aboard. Paul McCarthy, the scientific observer, estimated the length and weight of the squid. Specimen was sent to King Edward Point (KEP) Scientists for formal identification. Filmed at the surface by Ramon Ferreira Gomez; possibly first colossal squid to be filmed alive. | ||||
18 (https://web.archive.org/web/20070711112350/http://scottthong.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/colossalsquid2.jpg ) | 8 January 2007 | near Ross Ice Shelf | Caught by long-lining fishing vessel targeting Patagonian toothfish; photographed alive at surface | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire; alive | None? | ML: 12– [estimate?] | [Anonymous] (2007a, 3 figs.) | Photographed alive in the water holding onto a Patagonian toothfish. | ||||
19 | "early February" (captured); 22 February 2007 (reported) | Ross Sea | Caught while fishing for Antarctic toothfish; filmed and photographed alive at surface | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire; alive | Entire | Female | EL: 10 m [initial estimate]; EL: 4.2 m [after thawing]; ML: ~2.5 m; LRL: 41/42.5 mm; EyD: 30–40 cm [estimate]; EyD: 27 cm [after thawing]; LD: 12 cm; WT: 495 kg | NMNZ | Anderton (2007) | On public display. First mature specimen ever recovered and largest extant cephalopod scientifically documented. Caught by New Zealand (Sanford Ltd.) vessel San Aspiring while fishing for Antarctic toothfish. Filmed alive at surface. Placed in cargo net and brought aboard using crane (see video). Weight initially estimated at 450 kg, mantle length at 4 m, and total length at 8–10 m. Tentacles and eyes shrunk considerably post mortem. Thawed and examined by Steve O'Shea, Kat Bolstad, and Tsunemi Kubodera at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Featured in Discovery Channel program "Colossal Squid" (see clip). Most popular exhibit at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.[20] Featured in Whiti: Colossal Squid of the Deep,[21] winner of 2021 Whitley Award for Best Children's Book.[22] | ||
20 | 28 May 2007 (reported) | New Zealand? | From a research cruise | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Two tentacles | ML: 2 m [estimate] | |||||||
21 (https://web.archive.org/web/20190918095800/https://edge.alluremedia.com.au/uploads/businessinsider/2015/07/colossal_1.jpg ) | January 2008 | Filmed alive at surface feeding on toothfish, which it released after being prodded with long pole; changed colour while lingering at surface, before slowly retreating to deeper water | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Entire | None | Estimates by eye-witness Alexander Vagin, quoted in [Anonymous] (2013): ML: ~4 m; MW: ≥0.5 m; WL: >5 m | [Anonymous] (2013) | Seen alive at surface by Russian scientists (including Ivan Istomin and Alexander Vagin) on South Korean research vessel during mission to study toothfish; filmed by Istomin. Recorded in 2008 but only made public in 2013; widely reported in English-language media only in 2015. Specimen pulled from depths feeding on line-caught toothfish. Video shows squid changing colour from initial deep red (possibly a stress response) to light pink. Widely misreported as "giant squid".[23] | |||||
22 | 20 March 2008 (reported) | Ross Sea | Caught by New Zealand research vessel Tangaroa | "colossal squid" | Several specimens | Juvenile | |||||||
[1] | 25 May 2008 | about 40 km off Portland, Victoria, Australia, at 556 m depth | Caught by trawler Zeehaan | "colossal squid"; "giant squid" | Entire; eyes, skin and fins intact | Entire | Female | EL: >12 m [intact estimate]; ?EL: 5.5–6 m; WT: 245 kg | Burgess (2008) | Non-mesonychoteuthid. Misidentified as a "colossal squid" in some media reports. Reportedly largest recorded giant squid specimen from Australian waters. Capture of squid described by skipper Rangi Pene. Public dissection took place at Melbourne Museum on 17 July 2008, carried out by team of experts led by Mark Norman. | |||
23 | 2009 (reported) | Kerguelen waters | Found in stomach contents of sleeper shark (Somniosus sp.) | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Lower beak | Entire | (adult) | LRL: 23.6 mm | |||||
24 | 2009 (reported) | Kerguelen waters | Found in stomach contents of sleeper shark (Somniosus sp.) | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Lower beak | Entire | (juvenile) | LRL: 10.4 mm | |||||
25 | 2009 (reported) | Kerguelen waters | Found in stomach contents of sleeper shark (Somniosus sp.) | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni | Upper beak | Entire | URL: 27.7 mm | ||||||
[2] | 7 August 2010 (morning) | Houghton Bay, Wellington, New Zealand | Found washed ashore in stormwater channel, dead | "colossal squid"; "giant squid" | Entire; "in bad shape" | Beak; other remains left to the elements, washed out to sea around 3 pm | ?EL: 3.5–4 m [estimate; "small"] | NMNZ | Harvey (2010) | Non-mesonychoteuthid. Initially identified as a colossal squid by Department of Conservation Wellington area manager, Rob Stone. Correct identification by Te Papa communications manager, Jane Kieg. Te Papa only interested in beak for examination due to poor condition of specimen; probably attacked at sea. | |||
26 (https://web.archive.org/web/20160815095513/http://nnimg-a.akamaihd.net/silverstone-feed-data/fb0bae12-c113-48a2-88f3-49eb5e21daeb.jpg ) | 2 April 2012 (reported; found in previous week) | off Portland, Victoria, Australia | Found floating at surface, dead | "colossal type [squid]" | Entire? | ?ML: ~2 m ["body"]; ?MW: ~1 m; WT: 120 kg | Found by local fisherman and boat operator Bob McPherson while fishing for tuna in waters 700 m deep. | ||||||
27 (https://web.archive.org/web/20190918094035/https://i2.wp.com/osof.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/140916-squid-jsw-829a_b13200f8b73adbece2339569a4368843-1.jpg ) | mid-2014 | Ross Sea at 1200–1800 m depth | "colossal squid" | Entire; tentacles missing | Entire | Female | EL: 3.5 m; WT: 350 kg; EyD: 35/37 cm | NMNZ | Bryner (2014) | Numerous media sources | Dissected on 16 September 2014 (eye lens and buccal mass removed); caught "a couple of months" earlier. Dissection led by Kat Bolstad and carried out by staff of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa with help of Auckland University of Technology (including post-graduate researcher Aaron Boyd Evans). Eggs found in mantle. Dissection live streamed on YouTube for 3.5 hours. | ||
28 (https://web.archive.org/web/20150805073017/http://wa1.cdn.3news.co.nz/3news/AM/2015/7/7/4c1bfd2c-5f80-4878-bde2-524471337286/BabyColossalSquid_NIWA_SUPPLIED_1200.jpg?width=700 ) | 2015 | Caught | Mesonychoteuthis | Entire; "very good condition" | Entire | (juvenile) | ?EL: ~12 cm | NMNZ | [NIWA] (2015) | Collected by NIWA during the New Zealand–Australia Antarctic Ecosystems Voyage (29 January – 11 March 2015). Frozen on board ship; later examined at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa by Kat Bolstad and Aaron Boyd Evans. Characteristic hook and sucker combination already discernible on arms. |
The following abbreviations are used in the List of colossal squid table.
M. hamiltoni has a circumpolar Antarctic distribution.
Abbreviations used for measurements and counts are based on standardised acronyms in teuthology, primarily those defined by Roper & Voss (1983), with the exception of several found in older references.
Institutional acronyms are those defined by Leviton et al. (1985) and Leviton & Gibbs (1988). Where the acronym is unknown, the full repository name is listed.
The number directly below each image corresponds to the specimen or sighting, in the List of colossal squid, that the image depicts. The date on which the specimen was first captured, found, or observed is also given.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |