News

Very little is known about the colossal squid, which inhabits the deep sea of the Antarctic and can grow up to eight feet in length. The first colossal squid was discovered in 1925 as remains found in the stomach of a sperm whale. Since then, scientists have learned very little about the mammoth creature, except that they are sometimes observed attacking toothfish by fishermen.

To explore this connection further, Vladimir Laptikhovsky and his colleagues at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science in Suffolk, UK, examined 8,000 toothfish caught by fishermen between 2011 and 2014. They found that 71 of the fish showed signs of attack by colossal squid, including marks from the suckers and hooks and deeper lacerations from the beak.

Laptikhovsky believes that the toothfish is most likely the colossal squid’s most common prey because, at up to 6.5 feet long, it is the only fish that comes close to the size of the squid. Remains of squid tentacles and bodies were also discovered in the stomach of toothfish indicating that the fish doesn’t always lose the battle.

Read more here.