495 kg1,090 lb
The heaviest colossal squid ever caught weighed about 495 kg (1,091 lb). It was a female landed by a toothfish boat in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, in 2007, and it is now on display at Te Papa museum in New Zealand. Beaks found in sperm whales suggest the biggest colossal squid could reach 600 to 700 kg.
| Largest estimatedFrom a 49 mm beak found in a sperm whale; Te Papa says 600 to 700 kg | 700 kg1,540 lb |
|---|---|
| Heaviest ever caughtFemale, Ross Sea, 2007; 4.2 m long | 495 kg1,090 lb |
| Female with eggsCaught in 2014, examined at Te Papa | 350 kg772 lb |
| Subadult femaleCaught in 2003; 5.4 m long including tentacles | 300 kg661 lb |
| Incomplete specimenExamined alongside the 495 kg squid in 2008 | 160 kg353 lb |
In February 2007 the New Zealand fishing boat San Aspiring was hauling in Antarctic toothfish from about 1,500 m deep in the Ross Sea when a colossal squid came up still holding on to a fish. The crew froze it whole, and it was weighed at about 495 kg (1,091 lb), roughly eight times the weight of an average person.
Scientists thawed and examined it at Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand, in April 2008. It turned out to be a female carrying eggs. Its mantle (the main body) was 2.5 m long, and its total length was 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in). That is much shorter than the 8 to 10 m first guessed, partly because tentacles shrink a lot after death. It is still the heaviest squid, and the heaviest invertebrate, ever recorded, and the only whole colossal squid on public display.
Nobody knows for sure, because only a handful of large ones have ever been caught. Most of what scientists know comes from beaks, the hard, parrot-like mouthparts that survive in the stomachs of sperm whales, which hunt colossal squid in the Southern Ocean.
The record squid has a lower beak 42.5 mm long. The largest colossal squid beak found in a sperm whale is 49 mm. That sounds like a small difference, but a few millimetres of beak mean a much bigger animal, and Te Papa estimates its owner could have weighed 600 or 700 kg (about 1,300 to 1,500 lb). There are too few specimens to turn beak size into weight precisely, so treat that as a rough figure.
They are different animals. The giant squid (Architeuthis) is the longer one, with very long, thin tentacles, and it weighs up to about 275 kg (606 lb). The colossal squid is a bit shorter but has a much bulkier body, so it is far heavier. Its arms and tentacles are relatively short and armed with sharp, swivelling hooks, and it has the largest beak of any squid.
Colossal squid also have the largest eyes known in any animal, about 27 cm (11 in) across in life, roughly the size of a football. They live only in the cold waters around Antarctica, and the species was named in 1925.
The heaviest one ever caught weighed about 1,091 lb (495 kg). Other adults that have been caught weighed around 660 to 770 lb (300 to 350 kg), and the largest may reach 1,300 to 1,500 lb.
The giant squid is longer, but the colossal squid is much heavier. Giant squid weigh up to about 275 kg (606 lb), while the heaviest colossal squid weighed 495 kg (1,091 lb).
The 495 kg record squid was 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) long after thawing, with a 2.5 m mantle. Schmidt Ocean Institute says the species is thought to grow up to about 7 m (23 ft) long.
The first confirmed footage of one alive in the wild was filmed on 9 March 2025 near the South Sandwich Islands, by Schmidt Ocean Institute’s robot sub at 600 m deep. It was a see-through juvenile about 30 cm (1 ft) long, much smaller than the adults fishing boats have caught.
The 495 kg record squid is preserved and on display at Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand, in Wellington. It is the only complete colossal squid on public display in the world.
Last checked October 2, 2026.
