MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Giant washed-up squid found on NZ beach displayed at Kaikoura aquarium

The mantle is more than 2 meters long, and the longest tentacle measures over five meters. The diameter of each eye was found to be around 19 centimeters.

A local aquarium in New Zealand reported that a giant washed-up squid has been found on a beach at South Bay in Kaikoura. Reportedly, a man—who was out with his dog for a stroll at the beach—accidentally stumbled upon the marine creature with long tentacles.

 
The marine creature's dorsal body, known as the mantle, is more than 2 meters long. In addition, the authorities at the aquarium found that the squid has long tentacles, with the longest one measuring over 5 meters. The diameter of each eye was found to be around 19 centimeters.

Thankfully, the officials from the Kaikoura Marine Centre and Aquarium claimed the body of the massive cephalopod before the scavenger birds located the squid. The huge squid has currently been kept on display in the frozen form in the aquarium. Kaikoura, the town where the creature was found, is popular for its richness in marine life.

“Before the birds got to it - we got help to move it to the aquarium where it is safe inside a freezer with glass windows so you can see it - on display until we can do more with it,” said one of the posts on the aquarium's official Facebook page.

Bruce Bennet claimed that he bumped into the squid along the shore of the beach at around 8:30 am on 13 May, 2015. Bennett said the squid smelled slightly, and it wasn't on the beach on Tuesday so he assumed it washed up on Tuesday night.

Megan Lewis, the owner of the aquarium identified the creature as a female squid, however, the age of the organism has not been determined yet. The marine biologist further added on to reveal that the creature grow speedily, however, they do not live for long.

”The majority of its weight is in the head, which is in pristine condition. There's no indication of how it died - the stomach was full so it wasn't hungry,” said Lewis.

The researchers at the Universities in Otaga and Auckland are planning to study the washed up squid. The team hopes to unleash the characteristics of the marine creature that swim deep in the ocean.

A giant squid was found floating at sea off the Kaikoura coast in 2013. Jack and Sharon Osikai found the 8m squid floating near Shark's Tooth when they were returning from a fishing trip.

It was dissected on TV3's Campbell Live show by Megan Bosch, a marine biologist at the Kaikoura Marine Centre and Aquarium.

She discovered that the squid had been attacked by another, even bigger squid, which was apparent by the markings of a beak larger than its own on its tentacles and mantle.