New Zealand scientists have thawed out the giant squid caught in the Ross Sea in February 2007. Not only is the 8-metre (26-foot) long creature the largest preserved squid ever captured, but it isn't even fully grown. From the Sydney Morning Herald:
Steve O'Shea, a marine biologist who is part of an international team looking at the creature, said he could tell from the creature's beak that it was not yet fully grown.
"Perhaps the colossal squid gets up to 750 kilograms. That is certainly not the largest specimen out there," he said.
Even more interesting: it has the biggest eyes of any known animal. From National Geographic:
"This is the only intact eye [of a colossal squid] that's ever been found. It's spectacular," said Auckland University of Technology squid specialist Kat Bolstad, one of a team of international scientists brought in to examine the creature.
"It's the largest known eye in the animal kingdom," Bolstad told The Associated Press.
Here's a video of the thawing, which is nowhere near as dull as it sounds:
Link.
