Giant Squid Found On Tasmanian Beach
Zoologists were amazed when a 200 kilogram giant squid washed up on the shores of west coast Tasmania on a beach near Strahan. At this time they have no idea how it made it on shore.
Zoologists from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery say the squid’s hood and body is more than three metres long and they estimate its full size with tentacles would have been seven metres, with a weight of around 200kg.
They believe it is the first of its kind to be washed up on the west coast. The Museum’s senior curator of invertebrate zoology Genefor Walker-Smith says it is exciting to be able to learn from the rare specimen, but it is still not clear how it died.
“There’s no marks to suggest it was attacked by anything,” she said. “It could have just died of old age.” The squid will be taken to Hobart for further examination later today.