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Squid's In - And It's A Monster PARIS (AFP) - British scientists in Antarctica said they had found the largest specimen of a secretive species of squid, the cousin of a giant creature that gained mythic status as a sea monster. The specimen, Kondakovia longimana, which measured more than two meters (6.5 feet) long and weighed in at 28 kilos (62 pounds), was found washed up dead on a beach at the British Antarctic Survey's Signy Research Station, the organization said in a statement. It is the largest whole specimen ever found of this cephalopod. Little is known about the species, as the only evidence ever found is its hard mouthpiece, like a parrot's beak, which is usually recovered from the vomit of squid predators - wandering albatrosses, sperm whales and elephant seals. "I was looking out the window checking the weather when I noticed a group of giant petrels squabbling over something on the beach. My colleagues and I got very excited when we realized it was a huge squid," said marine biologist Amanda Lynnes. Kondakovia's big relative, the giant squid Architeuthis, can grow up to 18 meters (60 feet) long and weight nearly half a ton, with eyes the size of dinner plates. In the days of sailing, these creatures were credited with the power to seize a vessel and drag it beneath the waves. Architeuthis is the largest invertebrate ever to have lived on Earth, but virtually nothing is known about it, despite repeated searches in a suspected lair in the depths off Kaikoura, on New Zealand's South Island. Lynnes is to present her findings at a seminar in Aberdeen, Scotland this week. The remains of the squid could not be preserved, except for the beak, which was cut out and kept
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