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New Zealand squid thaw put on ice | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Technicians in New Zealand have postponed until Monday the delicate process of defrosting a colossal squid caught in Antarctic waters last year. | |
Having removed the creature from the freezer on Sunday, the team realised it would defrost too early for a planned examination by scientists on Wednesday. | |
The half-tonne 10m-long squid is now back in the freezer, still wrapped in the fishing net in which it was caught. | |
The eventual thawing and dissection will feature in a live webcast. | |
The Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni specimen was caught in February 2007 in Antarctic waters. | |
Big unknown | Big unknown |
The riddle for technicians at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa centre has been how to thaw the squid without any parts of its body starting to rot. | |
The colossal squid is remarkable for its size, but also for how rarely it has been sighted. | The colossal squid is remarkable for its size, but also for how rarely it has been sighted. |
class="" href="/1/hi/sci/tech/6549161.stm">Monster warning to protect oceans | |
It was identified first in 1925 from two tentacles found in a sperm whale's stomach. | |
These deep-diving toothed whales regularly do battle with Mesonychoteuthis and other giant cephalopods such as the giant squid of the Architeuthis genus. | |
Since 1925, only a few Mesonychoteuthis have been sighted, all in the seas around Antarctica. | Since 1925, only a few Mesonychoteuthis have been sighted, all in the seas around Antarctica. |
Very little is known about how and where they live. The one certainty is that they are fearsome opponents, with big beaks and unique swivelling hooks on the club-like ends of their tentacles. | Very little is known about how and where they live. The one certainty is that they are fearsome opponents, with big beaks and unique swivelling hooks on the club-like ends of their tentacles. |
One of the first tasks is likely to be ascertaining the squid's gender. | One of the first tasks is likely to be ascertaining the squid's gender. |
This one is believed to be male; and females are thought to grow larger than males. | This one is believed to be male; and females are thought to grow larger than males. |
So if this one is a he, presumably there are even bigger and heavier shes somewhere in the cold Antarctic waters. | So if this one is a he, presumably there are even bigger and heavier shes somewhere in the cold Antarctic waters. |
Later in the week, scientists are expected to give public lectures about their initial results. | |
Once thawed and examined, the squid will be embalmed and preserved. | Once thawed and examined, the squid will be embalmed and preserved. |