# List of giant squid specimens and sightings (20th century)

This list of giant squid specimens and sightings from the 20th century is a comprehensive timeline of human encounters with members of the genus Architeuthis, popularly known as giant squid. It includes animals that were caught by fishermen, found washed ashore, recovered (in whole or in part) from sperm whales and other predatory species, as well as those reliably sighted at sea. The list also covers specimens incorrectly assigned to the genus Architeuthis in original descriptions or later publications.

## Background

The frequency of documented giant squid encounters greatly increased throughout the 20th century, providing much insight into the species's biology and life history. It was found that giant squid are preyed upon not only by sperm whales but by a wide range of other animals, including albacore (#193), lancetfish (#149 and 164; see #48 for 19th century record), swordfish (#232), blue sharks (#215 and 375), Portuguese dogfish (#203), shortfin mako sharks (#205 and 431), sleeper sharks (#396, 405, 430, 432, and 433), and northern elephant seals (#279 and 332). One specimen taken alive by troll was reportedly attacked by a false killer whale during retrieval (#247).
Observations of live and freshly dead animals also revealed new aspects of giant squid behaviour, including rapid colour change (#254 and 391) and high-speed swimming at the surface (#106), though the veracity of the latter observation has been questioned. Additionally, examinations of dead specimens and partial remains provided data on diet (#226 and 412), longevity and habitat (#369, 371, and 374), depth of occurrence and buoyancy (#246 and 266), metabolism and locomotory ability (#411), as well as tentacle regeneration and internal parasites (#169). New preservation methods, including plastination (#429), were also trialled.
The large-scale commercial exploitation of sperm whales, particularly from the end of World War II to the 1970s, provided a rich source of giant squid remains for scientific study. The vast majority of these consisted of disarticulated beaks (with up to 47 found in a single sperm whale stomach; #331), though more substantial remains were occasionally recovered, including even whole adult specimens (#84, 128, 137, 151, 209, 225, and 234), with one reportedly showing signs of life after being vomited (#128). The most important figure in the study of ingested giant squid remains was marine biologist Malcolm Clarke, who authored around a dozen relevant papers.
Following the flurry of new giant squid species descriptions that characterised the latter half of the 19th century, the 20th century saw only three newly erected species: Architeuthis japonica by Pfeffer (1912:27), based on a specimen caught in Tokyo Bay in 1895 (#67); Architeuthis clarkei by Robson (1933), based on a carcass that washed ashore in Scarborough, England, earlier that year (#107); and Architeuthis nawaji by Cadenat (1935), based on a specimen caught in the Bay of Biscay the same year (#110). The consensus today is that there exists only a single, globally distributed species of giant squid: Architeuthis dux.
The second half of the 20th century saw the first serious efforts to photograph or film a live giant squid. Beginning in the late 1980s, most of these early attempts were led by either Frederick Aldrich or Clyde Roper, the two foremost giant squid experts of their time. However, it would not be until the first years of the 21st century that this milestone was finally achieved.

## List of giant squid

| # | Date | Location | Nature of encounter | Identification | Material cited | Material saved | Sex | Size and measurements | Repository | Main references | Additional references | Notes |
| 72 (📷) | 1902 | north of Faroe Islands, Atlantic Ocean {NEA} | Found floating at surface, dead | ?Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire, very bad condition | Entire | | BL+HL: 76 cm; ML: 63 cm; MW: 15 cm; FL: 26.7 cm; FW: 8 cm; TL: 214 cm; ASD: 8 mm; TSD: 11 mm | Bergen Museum [=ZMUB?] | Murray & Hjort (1912:651, fig. 484); Grieg (1933:20) | Broch (1954:151) | Young specimen taken by Michael Sars. |
| 73 (📷) | 15 August 1903 | whaling station in Mjofjord, east coast of Iceland {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Tentacle (partial), arm | Tentacle (from mouth of whale) | | TD: 17 cm; ?AL: 6 m | Bergen Museum [=ZMUB?] | Murray & Hjort (1912:651); Grieg (1933:21) | | Length of arm given by whalers who witnessed whale regurgitating it in "death-flurry". Whale's head bore "long parallel stripes" consisting of putative giant squid sucker scars c. 27 mm across; numerous squid beaks up to 9 cm long found in stomach. |
| 74 | July 1906 | ?, Norway {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | | | | | | Collett (1912:635) | | |
| 75 | 1907 | ?, Norway {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | | | | | | Collett (1912:635) | | |
| 76 | March 1909 | off Highland Light, Truro, Massachusetts {NWA} | Not stated; floating at surface? | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | None | | AL: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m); ?WL: ~16–17 ft (4.9–5.2 m); AD: 4 in (10 cm) | None | Blake (1909:43) | | Found by schooner Annie Perry; attempted to be hoisted aboard but cut in half by rope; tentacle [arm] saved but later discarded. |
| 77 | July 1909 | ?, Norway {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | | | | | | Collett (1912:635) | | |
| 78 | September 1910 | off coast of County Mayo, Ireland {NEA} | From two sperm whale stomachs | Architeuthis sp. | Two upper beaks and eye lens(es) | Entire? | | None | NMI catalog no. 1912.75.1 (possibly also 1995.16.484) | Massy (1913:2); Nunn & Holmes (2008); Sigwart & Leonard (2009:96) | | Collected by Captain Bruun from two sperm whale stomachs per Massy (1913), but specimen label indicates a single sperm whale and gives donor name as E.W.L. Holt. Stored dry. A second Architeuthis accession (NMI 1995.16.484), which lacks an acquisition date but is labelled "Beak and eye of Cuttlefish from stomach of sperm whale. Blacksod Bay [in County Mayo]. Given by H.C. Hartnell.", may represent the remains from the second sperm whale stomach reported by Massy (1913); based on its label this specimen appears to date from the late 19th to early 20th century. |
| 79 | 1910/1911? (autumn) | Lundenes, Grytøya, Senjen, Norway {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | None | | WL: 1.2 m | | Brinkmann (1916:178); Grieg (1933:20) | Nordgård (1928:71); Sivertsen (1955:11) | |
| 80 | June 1911 | Monterey Bay, California, United States {NEP} | Floating at surface, dead | Unidentified; Architeuthis? | Entire; "in very bad condition, there was no color left, and the epidermis had all sloughed off" | None | | EL: >30 ft (9.1 m) | | Berry (1912:117) | | |
| 81 (📷) | February 1912 | Veiholmen, Smøla, Norway {NEA} | Found in shallow water | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Entire | | BL: 1.9 m; TL: 6.7 m | Kristiansund Museum | Brinkmann (1916:180, fig. 3); Grieg (1933:20) | Nordgård (1928:71); Sivertsen (1955:11) | |
| 82 | 1912 | Japan {NWP} | | | | | | Unknown | | Pfeffer (1912) | Ellis (1998a:260) | |
| 83 | 12 October 1912 | Monterey Bay, California, United States {NEP} | Not indicated | Unidentified; Architeuthis? | Entire | None | | WT: ~500 lb (230 kg) | | Berry (1914:22) | | Observed by Mr. K. Hovden (Manager, Booth Canning Company, Monterey). Supposedly eaten raw by Italian fishermen who "captured" it; considered highly doubtful given ammonium chloride present in giant squid tissues. |
| 84 | 18 July 1913 | Belmullet whaling station, Ireland {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis harveyi (Kent, 1874) | Entire, plus other parts | Tip of tentacle; beak and radula; other dry beaks plus portion of gladius | | ML: 6 ft (1.8 m); BC: 4 ft (1.2 m); AL: 6 ft (1.8 m); TL: 21 ft (6.4 m); FL: 1 ft 7 in (0.48 m); FW: 1 ft 9.5 in (0.546 m) | Undetermined; University of Liverpool? | Hamilton (1915:137, 147); Hardy (1956:286); Collins (1998a:489) | Rees (1950:40) | From 57 ft 3 in (17.45 m) male sperm whale (no. 22) examined by J.E. Hamilton. |
| 85 (📷) | 22 November 1915 [or 21 November] | Lerøya, Austrheim Municipality (north of Bergen), Norway {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Initially entire [head and viscera] | Male [immature female] | ML+HL: 1550 mm; ML: 1310 mm; BD: 440 mm; HW: 310 mm; FL: 430 mm; FW: 105; AL(I): 1780 mm; AL(IV): 1640 mm; TL: 5600 mm [TL: 4925 mm [right]]; CL: 745 mm [right]; CSC: 262 [right]; TSC: 287 [right]; LRL: 15.8 mm; URL: 15.9 mm; additional beak measurements, indices, and counts | ZMUB; ZMUB 43689 [specimen NA-12 of Roeleveld (2000) and Roeleveld (2002)] | Brinkmann (1916:175, fig. 1); Grieg (1933:17); Roeleveld (2000:185); Roeleveld (2002:727) | Nordgård (1928:71); Sivertsen (1955:11); Toll & Hess (1981b:754) | Plaster cast made of specimen also in Bergen Museum. Beak morphometrics studied by Roeleveld (2000). Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 86 | 17 March 1916 | Hellandsjo, west of Hevnefjord, Norway {NEA} | Found washed ashore, alive | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | A little of the front part, tentacles and arms; remainder used for bait | | TL: 6.2 m | VSM | Brinkmann (1916:180); Grieg (1933:20) | Nordgård (1923:11); Nordgård (1928:71); Sivertsen (1955:11) | With sucker response when found by J.F. Vaagan. |
| 87 | November 1916 | Oyvag, Dønna, Helgeland, Atlantic Ocean {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire? | None | | None | | Grieg (1933:20) | | |
| 88 | 29 October 1917 | Skateraw, Berwickshire, Scotland (55°58.5′N 02°25′W﻿ / ﻿55.9750°N 2.417°W﻿ / 55.9750; -2.417﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis harveyi (Kent, 1874); Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Club and gladius fragment | | BL+HL: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m); FW: 19 in (48 cm); AL: 4 ft (1.2 m); AC: 9.5 in (24 cm); TL: 13 ft 10 in (4.22 m); CL: 2 ft 6 in (0.76 m); other measurements and description | NMSZ catalog no. 1917.54.1–2 | Ritchie (1918:133); Ritchie (1922:423); Robson (1933:692); Heppell & Smith (1983:35) | Stephen (1944:264); Rees (1950:40); Stephen (1962:154); Collins (1998a:489) | Observations by J. Ritchie after earlier mutilation of specimen by local boys. Colour drawing by Ritchie in NMSZ. |
| 89 (📷) | 10 January 1918 | reportedly caught in Awa Province; Tokyo fishmarket, Japan {NWP} | Not stated | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Entire | Undetermined | Male (mature) | ML: 1100 mm; BC: 800 mm; FL: 400 mm; FW: 320 mm; GL: 1040 mm | | Sasaki (1929:224, pl. 20 figs. 1–11); Heuvelmans (1968) | Toll & Hess (1981b:753) | |
| 90 | 1918 | Kilkel, County Clare, Ireland {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Not specified | Undetermined | | None | | Hardy (1956:286) | Collins (1998a:489) | |
| 91 | November 1919 | Oyvag of Dønna, off coast of Nordland, Norway {NEA} | Not stated | Architeuthis dux | Entire? | Undetermined | | None | | Nordgård (1923:11) | Nordgård (1928:71); Sivertsen (1955:11, fig. 4) | |
| 92 | February 1920 | Vallay, North Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis or Sthenoteuthis; Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | None | | "Length of squid": 3.5–4 ft (1.1–1.2 m); AL: ~1 ft (0.30 m) | | Ritchie (1920:57) | Stephen (1944:264); Rees (1950:40); Stephen (1962:154); Collins (1998a:489) | Information from Mr. G. Beveridge. |
| 93 | 1921 | Wick, Moray Firth, Scotland {NEA} | Not stated | Architeuthis dux | Beak and sucker ring, dry | Sucker ring; beak lost, photograph only extant | | None | NMSZ | Heppell & Smith (1983:33) | Collins (1998a:489) | |
| 94 (📷) | 1922 | Caithness, North of Scotland {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis harveyi (Kent, 1874); Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Not specified | Undetermined | | None | NMSZ | Ritchie (1922:423); Robson (1933:692) | Stephen (1944:264); Rees (1950:40); Hardy (1956:287); Stephen (1962:154) | |
| 95 | 1924 | Margate, Natal {SIO} | | | | | | | Unknown | Heuvelmans (1968) | Ellis (1998a:260) | |
| 96 | 9 ?October 1924 | Bluff, New Zealand {SWP} | Not stated | | | Undetermined | | BL: 7 ft (2.1 m); "spread of tentacles": 18 ft (5.5 m) | | Dell (1952:98) | The New Zealand Herald 9 October 1924 | |
| 97 | Unknown (prior to spring 1926) | Urago Bay, Oki Islands, Japan {NWP} | Not stated | ?Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | None | | Hamabe (1957); Nishimura (1968:75) | | Capture date prior to spring 1926. |
| 98 | 1926 (early spring) | off Kuniga, Oki Islands, Japan {NWP} | Not stated | ?Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | None | | Hamabe (1957); Nishimura (1968:75) | | |
| 99 | 1926 | Wingan Inlet, Victoria, Australia {SWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | | None | | MacPherson & Gabriel (1962:413) | | |
| 100 | 13 December 1927 | Kalveidøy, Fitjar, Norway {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | None | | BL: 1 m; TL: 6.5 m | | Grieg (1933:19) | Sivertsen (1955:11) | |
| 101 (📷) | 4 March 1928 | Ranheim (about 8 km east of Trondheim), Norway {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Entire | Male | ?EL: ~7.9 m; ML: 1.37 m; AL: 1.4–1.5 m; TL: 6.4 m; LRL: 15.0 mm; URL: 13.7 mm; additional beak measurements | VSM; VSM 108a [specimen NA-19 of Roeleveld (2000)] | Nordgård (1928:70, text-fig.); Grieg (1933:20); Roeleveld (2000:185) | Sivertsen (1955:5); Aldrich (1991:476) | Spermatophores present. Beak morphometrics studied by Roeleveld (2000). |
| 102 | 1928 (?) | off western Greenland (~67°N) {NWA} | Not stated | Architeuthis sp. | Jaws only | Undetermined | | None | | Muus (1962:20, 22) | Ellis (1998a:260) | Seen by members of the Godthaab Expedition. Very northerly record; "must be considered occasional guests from more southerly latitudes". |
| 103 | 24 January 1930 | Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland (56°02.5′N 02°51′W﻿ / ﻿56.0417°N 2.850°W﻿ / 56.0417; -2.850﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Undetermined | | BL+HL: 1803 mm; HL: 381 mm; HC: 711 mm; ML: 1422 mm; BC: 1143 mm [at mantle edge]; additional measurements | NSMZ catalog no. 1930.174. Stephen specimen No. 1 | Stephen (1962:151); Heppell & Smith (1983:34) | Collins (1998a:489) | Data from unpublished Ritchie manuscript; see Heppell & Smith (1983) concerning locality data. |
| 104 | 1930? | Goose Bay, Kaikōura, New Zealand {SWP} | Not stated | | Entire | Undetermined | | BL: 11 ft (3.4 m); AL[TL?]: ~30 ft (9.1 m) | | Dell (1952:98) | Paxton (2016a:83) | W.R.B. Oliver (observer?). Considered by Paxton (2016a:83) as the "longest measured" mantle length of any giant squid specimen (though "more reliably" that of #47). |
| 105 | 1930 | Miura Peninsula, Japan {NWP} | | | | | | ?EL: 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) | | Tomilin (1967) | Ellis (1998a:260) | |
| 106 (📷) | 1930–1933 | Pacific between Hawaii and Samoa {SWP} | Observed swimming alongside ship at high speed before "attacking" it | Architeuthis | Entire | None | | Size not estimated | None | Grønningsæter (1946:379, fig. 1a); Ellis (1998a:123, 201) | Welfare & Fairley (1980:74); Aldrich (1991:477); Ellis (1998a:261) | Seen swimming at 20–25 kn (37–46 km/h) (based on three observations) alongside freighter M/V Brunswick (15,000 tons) before turning towards ship and "hitting the hull approximately 150 ft (46 m) from the stern at a depth of 12–15 ft (3.7–4.6 m)", then "skidd[ing] along until it ended up in the propeller, where it was ground to pieces", as recounted by shipmaster Arne Grønningsæter. Veracity of account has been questioned, though taken seriously by Aldrich (1991:477) who described it as "[t]he classical report on the speed of architeuthid swimming" and cited it as evidence that giant squid are sufficiently fast to evade sperm whales (the latter capable of only around 10–12 kn (19–22 km/h)). |
| 107 (📷) | 14 January 1933 | South Bay Beach, Scarborough, Yorkshire, England {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis clarkei Robson, 1933 | Entire | Entire | | ML: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m); MW: 1 ft 10 in (0.56 m); FL: 2 ft 1.5 in (0.648 m); FW: 1 ft 7 in (0.48 m) [total]; EL: 17 ft 5 in (5.31 m) [ends of tentacles missing]; WT: 16 st 11 lb (107 kg); numerous additional measurements | BMNH 1933.1.30.5 + 1926.3.31.24 (radula and beak [cast lost?]; also entire specimen minus tentacular clubs) and Scarborough Museums Trust (several sucker rings, including SCARB 2000.952.397); holotype of Architeuthis clarkei Robson, 1933 | Clarke (1933:157, fig.); Robson (1933:681, text-figs. 1–7, pl. 1); King (2019:153); Eyden (2020, figs. 1–2, 4, 6) | Yorkshire Evening Post, 14 January 1933; Leeds Mercury, 16, 19 & 21 January 1933; The Yorkshire Post, 17 January 1933; The Illustrated London News, 21 January 1933 (cover story); Hull Daily Mail, 20 June 1933; [Anon.] (1934:57); Stevenson (1935:114); Stephen (1944:264); Rees (1950:40); Hardy (1956:286); Spaul (1956:63); Collins (1998a:489) | Specimen obtained by W.J. Clarke. Featured in magic lantern slides of the time. Preserved in alcohol with second specimen in basement of London's Natural History Museum. |
| 108 (📷) | 2 June 1933 (accessioned) | Lairg, Scotland {NEA} | Not stated | ?Architeuthis sp.; Architeuthis dux | Not stated | Beak | | None given | BMNH catalog no. 1933.6.2.1 | [NHM] (N.d.) | Zoology Accessions Register: Mollusca: 1925–1937, p. 163 | Donated by Dr. H. Sutherland. Beak preserved in 80% industrial methylated spirit. |
| 109 (📷) | December 1933 | Dildo, Newfoundland {NWA} | Not stated | | Entire | | Male | ML: 1560 mm | | [Anon.] (1933:15); Frost (1934:100, figs. 1–5, pls. 1–3) | Knudsen (1957:189); Toll & Hess (1981b:754); Aldrich (1991:476) | A replica of this giant squid is now on display in Dildo. |
| 110 (📷) | 26 June 1935 | Gulf of Gascogne [Bay of Biscay] (46°50'N) at 200 m depth {NEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis nawaji; Architeuthis harveyi | Entire | | Female | EL: 818 cm; ML: 138 cm; FL: 60 cm; TL: 645 cm; AL(IV): 112 cm; AL(I): 110 cm | ?MHNLR | Cadenat (1935:513); Cadenat (1936:277, figs. 1–3) | | Caught by the Palombe. |
| 111 (📷) | 12 November 1935 | Holyrood, Harbour Main, Conception Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | None; destroyed in fire | Female | ML: 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m); BC: 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m); FL: 2 ft 9 in (0.84 m); FW: 2 ft 1 in (0.64 m); TL: 17 ft 3 in (5.26 m); HL: 1 ft 7 in (0.48 m) | None | Frost (1936:89, figs. 1–10); Stephen (1962:155); Dyson (1982:107); Peterman (2002); see discussion | Downer (1965:6) | Caught by Harbour Main fisherman Joe Ezekiel, who sold specimen to a scientist for NF$10.00 (equivalent to US$140 in 2024). Stored in local Fisheries Department's fish freezer, which caught fire, destroying specimen. At least three photographs of the specimen exist. Nancy Frances Button (née Frost), who wrote detailed paper on find, was brought to Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1964 to view specimen #169, as none of the scientists there had examined a giant squid before. |
| | 7 January 1937 | off Bell Rock, Angus, Arbroath, Scotland (56°26′N 02°23′W﻿ / ﻿56.433°N 2.383°W﻿ / 56.433; -2.383﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis harveyi (Kent, 1874); Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Tentacles and one arm | | BL: ~7 ft (2.1 m); AL: 92 cm; TL: 368 + 421 cm | NMSZ catalog no. 1977107.1 | Stephen (1937:131); Heppell & Smith (1983:34) | Stephen (1944:264); Rees (1950:40); Stephen (1962:154); Collins (1998a:489) | Captured alive in trawl, tentacles and one arm cut off and remainder discarded. Date of capture incorrect in Heppell & Smith (1983). |
| 112 | 22 July 1937 | Petone, Wellington, New Zealand {SWP} | Not stated | | Not specified | Undetermined | | TL: 22 ft (6.7 m) | | Dell (1952:98) | Press Association message 22 July 1937 | |
| 113 (📷) | October 1938 | ~0.5 miles (0.8 km) north of Ravenscar, England {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp.? | Entire? | Beak | | ?EL: 16 ft (4.9 m); "tentacles [arms?] as thick as a man's arm" | BMNH | Clarke (1939:136, fig.); Eyden (2020, fig. 7) | Spaul (1956:63) | Found on rocky coast by local man named Shippey, who removed beak and took it home; portion of remaining body cut up as fishermen's bait. Beak obtained by W.J. Clarke (through E.A. Wallis) and passed onto the Natural History Museum, London, where G. J. Crawford of the Mollusca Department identified it as Architeuthis without suggesting a species. |
| 114 | 10 October 1939 | near Tromsø, Norway {NEA} | "killed by fishermen" | | | | | EL: >13 m; TL: 8.7 m; BC: 3 m [maximum]; AL: 3.1 m [longest]; WT: >1000 kg [estimate] | | Wood (1982:191) | Ellis (1998a:261) | Gerald L. Wood called it "the largest known Architeuthis" from Norway. Not weighed; mass estimate attributed to "Karl Basilier, pers. comm.". Possibly the same as 1939 Norway specimen indicated in Sivertsen (1955:11, fig. 4) (map location only). |
| 115 | February 1941 | Susa Bay, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan {NWP} | Not stated | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: ~1.5 m; WT: ~180 kg | | Tanaka (1950); Nishimura (1968:75) | | |
| 116 | 1941–1978 | Sea of Japan; various locations {NWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis martensi (Hilgendorf, 1880) | 20 specimens; entire | Undetermined | | None | | Okiyama (1993:408, fig. 6) | | Summary of Sea of Japan strandings. |
| 117 | 1945 | Pahau River Mouth, Wellington East Coast, New Zealand {SWP} | Found washed ashore | | Entire | Undetermined | | WT: >1 ton | | Dell (1952:98) | | |
| 118 | early March 1946 | south side of inlet to Bømmelfjorden, Lyngholmen, Sveio, Sunnhordland, Norway {NEA} | Found washed ashore, dead | Architeuthes dux [sic] | Entire | None | | BL: ~2 m; AL: ~2 m | | Tambs-Lyche (1946:287) | Haugesunds Avis, 16 March 1946 | Found by Johannes Våga of Lyngholmen who brought it to the attention of Haugesunds Avis, which reported on specimen and notified Bergens Museum. Museum sought remains for examination but specimen already destroyed and buried, after initially being damaged by young boys who tore head off and mutilated mantle. Southernmost Norwegian stranding recorded up to that point. |
| 119 (📷) | 11 September 1946 | Vikebukt, Romsdalsfjord, Romsdal, Norway {NEA} | Seen swimming around fjord; later found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | EL: 9.35 m; other measurements | | Myklebust (1946:377, fig. 1) | Sivertsen (1955:11, map); Ellis (1998a:20) | It has been suggested that a "sea serpent" reported from the same fjord by [Anon.] (1849:264) (based on 28 July 1845 sighting; description attributed to Reverend Mr. Deinboll, archdeacon of Molde) may have been a giant squid. |
| 120 | 18 November and 5 December 1947 | South Atlantic (56°45′00″S 03°49′59″E﻿ / ﻿56.75000°S 3.83306°E﻿ / -56.75000; 3.83306﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SEA} | From sperm whale stomachs | Architeuthis dux | Not stated, but from two whales | | | None given | RMNH catalog nos. RMNH.MOL.92235 & 111017 | [Naturalis] (2015a); [Naturalis] (2017) | | From whale nos. 17 and 61; collected by W. Vervoort. Preserved in 70% alcohol. |
| 121 (📷) | mid-September 1948 | Wingan Inlet, Victoria, Australia {SWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire, tentacles largely missing, arms "mutilated and torn off"; poor condition | Head with arms and tail with fins | | EL: 14 ft (4.3 m) [partial, on arrival at museum], ~20 ft (6.1 m) [when found], ~28 ft (8.5 m) [estimate if complete]; BL: 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m); GL: 7 ft (2.1 m); HL: 1 ft 6 in (0.46 m); TL: 4 ft (1.2 m) [partial], ≥18 ft (5.5 m) [estimate if complete]; TC: 4 in (10 cm) [stalk]; AL: 4 ft (1.2 m) [partial], ~6 ft (1.8 m) [estimate if complete]; AC: 8–10.5 in (20–27 cm); ASD: ≤1 in (2.5 cm); EyD: 7 in (18 cm); other measurements | AMS? | Allan (1948:306, 2 figs.) | Zeidler (1996:7); Zeidler & Gowlett-Holmes (1996:85) | CSIR Fisheries Division at Cronulla notified about specimen by Mr. W. Warn. Shipment of specimen from Eden to Australian Museum arranged by Lucy M. Willings of CSIR. Gladius and internal organs removed prior to reposit. Identified as "largest squid" in 2003 edition of Guinness World Records, a distinction given to the Thimble Tickle specimen (#45) in most prior and subsequent editions. |
| 122 | 7 September 1949 | Hirtshals, Denmark {NEA} | Not stated | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Undetermined | | ?WL: 1.75 m ["totallaengde uden fangarme"; "total length without tentacles"] | | Muus (1959:170) | | |
| 123 | 2 October 1949 | Whalefirth Voe, Shetland, Scotland (60°35′N 01°10′W﻿ / ﻿60.583°N 1.167°W﻿ / 60.583; -1.167﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Jaws and sucker rings; remainder cut up for bait | | BL: ~4 ft (1.2 m); AL: ~6 ft (1.8 m); TL: ~20 ft (6.1 m) | NMSZ catalog nos. 1950.2 & 1950.3 | Stephen (1950:52); Heppell & Smith (1983:33) | Collins (1998a:489) | Originally identified as an octopus. Jaw, description, and sketch sent by Dr. Petersen and two suckers sent by Mr. J. Inkster to NMSZ. |
| 124 (📷) | 30 November 1949 | Bay of Nigg, Aberdeen, Scotland {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp.; Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Undetermined; entire? | Female | ML: 117 cm; HL: 28 cm; FL: 44.5 cm; FW: 37.5 cm; extensive additional measurements and description | ?Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen, Scotland. Stephen (1962) specimen No. 2 | Rae (1950:163, pls. 20–21) | Aberdeen Bon-Accord and Northern Pictorial; Hardy (1956:pl. 22); Stephen (1962:148); Boyle (1986:82); Collins (1998a:489) | |
| 125 | 22 August 1951 | 270 miles (430 km) W of Shpanberg Id., at surface {NWP} | Observed from deck of ship, alive | Architeuthis japonicus | Two squid | None | | TL: 10–12 m [estimate] | None | Sleptsov (1955:75) | Nesis (2001) | Thought to be avoiding sperm whales by staying at surface. Reportedly only giant squid seen alive in Russian waters. |
| 126 | 14 December 1951 | Angus, East Haven, Scotland {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis harveyi | Entire | Jaws, radula, and piece of arm with suckers | | ML: 4 ft 9 in (1.45 m) | Undetermined | Stephen (1953:121) | Collins (1998a:489) | Mutilated prior to examination. |
| 127 | January 1952 | Carnoustie, Scotland {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Not specified | Undetermined | | None | | Hardy (1956:287) | | |
| 128 | 12 June 1952 | off Sao Lourenco, Madeira Island {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach, vomited up | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | "Fragments" | | EL: 10,600 mm; ML: 1,860 mm; TL: 8,500 mm; AL: 2,800 mm; BC: 1,360 mm; TC: 330 mm; WT: 150 kg | MMF | Rees & Maul (1956:266) | Clarke (1962:173) | Still exhibited some signs of life after being vomited. |
| 129 | 1952 | off Fowey Rocks, Florida, United States (Straits of Florida) (25°35.4′N 80°05.8′W﻿ / ﻿25.5900°N 80.0967°W﻿ / 25.5900; -80.0967﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis princeps or Architeuthis harveyi; Architeuthis dux | Entire, "much mutilated" | | | ML: 36 in (91 cm); "large" | RSMAS catalog no. UMML 31.189 [specimen No. 1 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Voss (1956:138); Voss (1996); Roper et al. (2015:80) | Ellis (1998a:261) | Voss (1956:138) wrote that it was "no longer in existence" and identification as A. princeps or A. harveyi was based on "recollections [...] of the heart shaped fins". |
| [4] | 1952 (summer) | near Bonin Islands, western Pacific {NWP} | From "digestive canal" of sperm whale | Architeuthis japonica? Pfeffer, 1912; Psychroteuthidae? | Entire; two specimens | Undetermined | | ML: 92 mm + 104 mm; extensive additional measurements and description | ?Laboratory of Fisheries Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo | Iwai (1956:139, pls. 1–5); Roper & Young (1972:220) | Ellis (1998a:121) | Non-architeuthid. Based on the original illustrations and written description, Roper & Young (1972:220) wrote: "the specimens appear to be members of the Psychroteuthidae". Ellis (1998a:121) gives erroneous total length of "8 feet [2.4 m]" for the larger specimen (though correctly given as "8 inches [20 cm]" by Ellis, 1994a:145); mistake repeated by Glaubrecht & Salcedo-Vargas (2004:67), giving rise to the claim of an implausibly large psychroteuthid "with about three meter total length". |
| 130 | 1953 | Norway {NEA} | Not stated | | Map location only | | | | | Sivertsen (1955:11, fig. 4) | | |
| 131 (📷) | 1954 | off Mississippi Delta, Gulf of Mexico {NWA} | Found floating at surface, dead | Architeuthis physeteris (Joubin, 1899); Architeuthis dux | Entire, in poor condition | Beak and spermatophore | Male (mature) | ML: 61.2 cm; extensive description | RSMAS catalog no. UMML 31.99 [specimen No. 2 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Voss (1956:136, fig. 10); Roper et al. (2015:80) | Roper & Young (1972:220); Toll & Hess (1981b:753); Aldrich (1991:476); Melvin (2009) | Mature male with spermatophores. |
| 132 | 1954 | Skagerrak, Denmark {NEA} | | Architeuthis | Entire? | Entire?, both tentacles loose | Male (mature?) | ML: 1035 mm; TL: 4480/3800 mm; CL: 620/695 mm; CSC: 248/248; TSC: 276/271; additional indices and counts | ZMUC [specimen NA-3 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Roeleveld (2002:727) | | Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 133 | January 1954 | Kie Kie Bay, Kaikōura, New Zealand {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | | | | | | Förch (1998:105) | | Photographs held by NIWA. |
| 134 | 22 June 1954 | 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Skaw (Skagerack), Denmark {NEA} | Found alive on surface | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire?, left tentacle loose | Male (mature) | ML: 1010 mm [later 970 mm]; VML: 940 mm; HL: 275 mm; TL: 4900 mm [later 4585/4785 mm]; CL: 605/780 mm; AL(I): 800 mm; AL(IV): 1470/1530 mm; LAL: 1530 mm; HeL: 90/130 mm [IV pair]; PL: 780 mm; SSL: 155 mm; SoA: no obs.; SL: 110–180 mm; CSC: 255/265; TSC: 286/280; additional indices and counts | ZMUC [specimen NA-6 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Knudsen (1957:189, figs. 1–5); Roeleveld (2002:727); Guerra et al. (2004:8) | Kjennerud (1958:1); Muus (1959:170); Stephen (1962:155); Roper & Young (1972:220); Toll & Hess (1981b:753); Aldrich (1991:476) | Discovered by fishermen. Mature male with spermatophores and both ventral arms hectocotylised; colour notes. Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 135 | 30 July 1954 | Ranheim, Trondheim Fjord, Norway {NEA} | Not stated | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Undetermined | | EL: 7.5 m; BL: 1.3 m; AL: 1.9 m [shorter]; TL: 6.2 m | | Sivertsen (1955:5) | | |
| 136 (📷) | 2 October 1954 | Ranheim, Trondheim Fjord, Norway {NEA} | Stranded | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Entire, left tentacle loose | Female? | EL: 9.24 m; BL: 2.14 m; AL: 1.9 m [shorter]; TL: 7.1 m [left]; ML: 1.79 m; MW: 0.57 m; FL: 0.52 m; FW: 0.18 m [each]; TSD: 2.6 cm; ASD: 1.5 cm; CL: 820 mm [left]; CSC: 254 [left]; TSC: >275 [left]; LRL: 15.6 mm; URL: n/a; additional beak measurements, indices, and counts | VSM; VSM 156 [specimen NA-17 of Roeleveld (2000) and Roeleveld (2002)] | Broch (1954:145, fig.); Sivertsen (1955:5, fig. 1); Roeleveld (2000:185); Roeleveld (2002:727) | Clarke (1966:103, fig. 4) | Much-reproduced photograph shows specimen being measured by Professors Erling Sivertsen and Svein Haftorn. Beak morphometrics studied by Roeleveld (2000). Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). According to Broch (1954) it was stranded on 3 October and found on 4 October, and was 16th specimen recorded from Norway. |
| | 1950s | Point Leamington, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found washed ashore | "giant squid" | Entire? | None? | | None given | | Earle (1977:53) | | As recollected by former resident who saw specimen when she was a child in the 1950s. Locals were unaware of giant squid and regarded specimen as "something completely unique, one of a kind" but did not report it. |
| 137 (📷) | 4 July 1955 | off Porto Pim, Faial Island, Azores Islands (38°21′N 29°08′W﻿ / ﻿38.350°N 29.133°W﻿ / 38.350; -29.133﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undesignated anatomical material | | ML: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m); BD: 1 ft 11 in (0.58 m); EL: 34 ft 5 in (10.49 m); WL: 16 ft 3 in (4.95 m); TL: 26 ft 8 in (8.13 m); LAL: 9 ft (2.7 m); EyD: 7+2⁄5 in (0.19 m) [left]; WT: 405 lb (184 kg) | National Institute of Oceanography | Clarke (1955:589, 5 figs.); Clarke (1956a:645) | van Bruggen (1956:641) [NB: gives erroneous metric conversions]; Clarke (1956b:257, pl. 2 fig. 2); Budker (1959); see discussion | Squid swallowed whole by 47 ft (14 m) sperm whale (no. F346). Examined at Porto Pim whaling station. Budker (1959) states: "This is probably the only complete specimen of such an animal to be collected under these conditions." Considered by Paxton (2016a:83) as specimen with the longest "definitely measured" mantle length (less reliably #151), standard length, and total length (though see discredited size of #209) of any giant squid recovered from a sperm whale. |
| 138 (📷) | 12 May 1956 | about a mile north of Mākara Stream, Wellington west coast, New Zealand {SWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis kirki Robson, 1887 | Entire, missing tentacles | Entire? | | ML: 1829 mm; WT: 127.9 kg; extensive additional measurements and description | Dominion Museum [NMNZ] | Dell (1970:27, figs. 1–8) | Roper & Young (1972:216) | Arm suckers had no sucker rings; likely dissolved after preservation in formalin. |
| [5] | 1956/1957 | South Orkney Islands (59°41′S 44°14′W﻿ / ﻿59.683°S 44.233°W﻿ / -59.683; -44.233﻿ (Colossal squid specimen)) {SWA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp.; Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925 | Head and mantle | Undetermined | | HL: 30 cm; HW: 20 cm; EyD: 16–17 cm; ?EL: ~12 m | | Korabelnikov (1959:103); Yukhov (1974:62) | | Non-architeuthid. Initial identification by I.I. Akimushkin. From 15.8 m long male sperm whale. |
| [6] | 1956/1957 | South Shetland Islands (61°56′S 52°39′W﻿ / ﻿61.933°S 52.650°W﻿ / -61.933; -52.650﻿ (Colossal squid specimen)) {SWA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp.; Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson, 1925 | Fin only | Undetermined | | FL: 41 cm; FW: 48 cm; ?EL: ~10 m | | Korabelnikov (1959:103); Yukhov (1974:62) | | Non-architeuthid. Initial identification by I.I. Akimushkin. From 15 m long male sperm whale. |
| 139 | 1 February 1957 | six miles (10 km) north by east from Rattray Head, Aberdeenshire, Scotland {NEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp.; Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Entire | | EL: 23 ft 11 in (7.29 m); ML: 940 mm; BD: 343 mm; TL: 4750 mm [right]; CL: 559 mm [right]; HL: 279 mm; FL: 305 mm; FW: 305 mm | NMSZ catalog no. 1957.20. Stephen specimen No. 3 | Stephen et al. (1957:181); Stephen (1962:152, text-fig. 6, pl. 1 fig. 2); Heppell & Smith (1983:33) | Rae & Lamont (1963:23); Collins (1998a:489) | Received from trawler Viking Prestige almost complete, but poorly preserved. |
| 140 | 14 December 1957 | Misaki, Oki Islands, Japan {NWP} | Not stated | ?Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | None | | Hamabe (1957); Nishimura (1968:75) | | |
| 141 | 4 February 1958 | Ashiya, Hamasaka-machi, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan {NWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | ?EL: 4.1 m; WT: ~150 kg | | Kamita (1962); Nishimura (1968:75) | | |
| 142 | 7 February 1958 | off Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan {NWP} | Not stated | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | ?EL: ~6 m; WT: 170 kg | | Kamita (1962); Nishimura (1968:75) | | |
| 143 | 3 March 1958 | Sandane, Nordfjord, Norway {NEA} | Not stated | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | Male (mature) | ML: 100 cm; WT: 48 kg; moreVML: 87 cm; BC: 80 cm; FL: 28–32 cm; FW: 26/33 cm; HL: 30–32 cm; HW: 25 cm; AL(I): 126+ cm; AL(II): 143+ cm; AL(III): 126+ cm; AL(IV): 164 cm; LAL: 164 cm; AC(I): 16 cm; AC(II): 20 cm; AC(III): 22 cm; AC(IV): 22 cm; HeL: 5–6 cm [IV pair]; AF: 4.3.2.1; TaL: 10 cm; FuL: 14 cm; FuD: 7 cm; FuCL: 12 cm; FuCW: 2.5 cm; PL: 92 cm; SoA: yes; LRL: 1.2 cm; URL: 1.5 cm | ZMUB | Kjennerud (1958:1, figs. 1–9); Guerra et al. (2004b:8) | van Bruggen (1959:857); Toll & Hess (1981b:753) | Spermatophore and colour notes. Fins appeared to be slightly asymmetrical. |
| 144 (📷) | 1958 | northeast sector, Bahamas {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis dux | Entire, "nearly intact whole specimen" | Arm parts | Female | EL: 1433.5 cm | RSMAS catalog no. UMML 31.2938 [specimen No. 3 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Voss (1967:411); Rathjen (1973:24, fig. 7); Roper et al. (2015:80) | Ellis (1998a:261) | Possibly specimen illustrated in Rathjen (1973:24), which was taken by the vessel Silver Bay "off the coast of Florida" and said to measure 47 ft (equivalent to 14.33 m) in "overall length". |
| 145 | August 1959 | off Madeira Island {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | ?EL: 2.5 m | | Clarke (1962:173, fig. 1A) | Toll & Hess (1981b:754) | From male sperm whale. |
| 146 | January?, 1960 | Lonja de Aviles, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Not specified | Architeuthis dux | Not specified | Returned to the sea | | WT: 100 kg | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | |
| 147 | 6 February 1960 | Arahama, Kashiwazaki-shi, Niigata Prefecture, Japan {NWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 1.3 m; ?EL: 3.5 m; WT: 112 kg | | Nishimura (1960:214); Nishimura (1968:75) | | |
| 148 | 23 January 1961 | Oi, Hirata-shi, Shimane Prefecture, Japan {NWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | ?EL: 2.6 m; WT: 41.2 kg | | Kamita (1962); Nishimura (1968:75) | | |
| 149 (📷) | 18 February 1961 | Câmara de Lobos, Madeira Island {NEA} | From fish stomach, Alepisaurus cf. ferox | Architeuthis sp. A | Entire | Entire | Female (juvenile) | ML: 57 mm [later 56 mm]; VML: 54 mm; MW: 12 mm; FL: 20 mm; FW: 15 mm; HL: 17 mm; HW: 11 mm; GiL: 16 mm; AL(I): 47 mm; AL(II): 59 mm; AL(III): 58 mm; AL(IV): 58 mm; TL: 90 mm [later left tentacle 80 mm]; CL: 25 mm; ASD(I): 0.96 mm; ASD(II): 1.04 mm; ASD(III): 0.96 mm; ASD(IV): 0.64 mm; CSD: 0.96 mm/0.40 mm (medial/marginal); LRL: 1.0 mm; URL: 1.2 mm; extensive description and additional counts, indices, and beak measurements | NMNH cat. no. 727508 [specimen NA-34 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Roper & Young (1972:206, figs. 1a–c, 2–4, 5a); Roper (1992:99, figs. 160a–c); Roeleveld (2002:727) | Nesis et al. (1985:526); Roper & Shea (2013:116) | From stomach of lancetfish No. 18123, captured on tuna long-line at 50–150 m depth and supplied by G. E. Maul. Squid's greatly distended stomach contained largely unidentifiable material with some small fragments of fish bones. Sucker rings missing; likely degraded by digestive juices or formalin fixative. Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 150 | April–July 1961 | near Commander Islands and western Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea {NWP} | From sperm whale stomachs | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Combined beak samples | Undetermined | | Percentage of whale diet | | Kodolov (1970:[158]) | | From sperm whales sampled in several different whaling regions of Soviet whaling flotilla Aleut during the 1961 season. |
| 151 | August 1961 | Sao Miguel, Azores Islands {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 2.4 m; [?]AL: 4.4 m; WL: 6.8 m | | Keil (1963:320, figs. 3–5) | | From 16 m sperm whale. Considered by Paxton (2016a:83) as possibly greatest measured mantle length of any giant squid recovered from a sperm whale (more reliably #137), though he wrote: "the account is confused and the 2.4 m figure probably refers to the head and ML combined". |
| 152 | 16 September 1961 | off central California, United States {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | One upper beak | | None | NMML 110 | Fiscus (1993:92) | | From male sperm whale (specimen no. Rice-535). |
| 153 | December 1961 | King's Cove, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Not stated | Architeuthis sp. | Entire? | None | | "small" | Undetermined | Aldrich (1968); Aldrich (1991:459) | | |
| 154 | April–July 1962 | near Commander Islands and western Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea {NWP} | From sperm whale stomachs | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Combined beak samples | Undetermined | | Percentage of whale diet | | Kodolov (1970:[158]) | | From sperm whales sampled in several different whaling regions of Soviet whaling flotilla Aleut during the 1962 season. |
| 155 | 23 June 1962 | Durban Whaling Station, South Africa {SIO} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Body only | Undetermined | Male | FL: 40 cm; FW: 28 cm | None?; Clarke specimen No. 6 | Clarke (1980:67) | | From sperm whale number A956. |
| 156 | 1962 | Donkergat Whaling Station, South Africa {SEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Head only | Undetermined | | TL: 176 cm | Undetermined; Clarke specimen No. 1 | Clarke (1980:67, text-fig. 37A) | | |
| 157 | 1962 | Las Tiberas, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Not specified | Architeuthis dux | Not specified | Not specified | | TL: 6 m | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | |
| 158 | 12 November 1962 | off east coast of Florida, United States (Straits of Florida) (25°45′N 80°00′W﻿ / ﻿25.750°N 80.000°W﻿ / 25.750; -80.000﻿ (Giant squid specimen); given as "25°45'N 80°W") {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis sp.; Architeuthis dux | Entire | Gladius | Male (mature) | ML: 66.4 cm; EL 7.0 m | RSMAS catalog no. UMML 31.1762 [specimen No. 4 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Toll & Hess (1981b:753); Roper et al. (2015:80) | Roper & Young (1972:220) | |
| 159 | 13 June 1963 | Durban Whaling Station, South Africa {SIO} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Head only | Undetermined | | HL: 19 cm; HW: 15 cm; WT: 19 kg | None?; Clarke specimen No. 2 | Clarke (1980:67) | | From sperm whale number D1500. |
| 160 | 15 June 1963 | off central California, United States {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | One upper beak | | None | NMML catalog no. 111 | Fiscus (1993:92) | | From male sperm whale (specimen no. Rice-813). |
| 161 | 1963 | Donkergat Whaling Station, South Africa {SEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Body only | Undetermined | Female | ML: 66.5 cm; MW: 24 cm; FL: 29 cm; FW: 16 cm | Undetermined; Clarke specimen No. 3 | Clarke (1980:67, text-fig. 37B) | | From sperm whale no. 2271. |
| 162 | 13 August 1963 | Durban Whaling Station, South Africa {SIO} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: ~70 cm; HL: ~23 cm; FL: ~30 cm; FW: ~22 cm | None?; Clarke specimen No. 5 | Clarke (1980:67, text-fig. 37A) | | From sperm whale number 2258. |
| 163 | August?, 1963 | Cook Strait, New Zealand {SWP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | One beak | Undetermined | | None | | Gaskin & Cawthorn (1967:170) | | From New Zealand whaling station; specimen No. 63 of 1963–1964 season. |
| 164 (📷) | 17 December 1963 | off Chile, South America (19°51′S 95°09′W﻿ / ﻿19.850°S 95.150°W﻿ / -19.850; -95.150﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SEP} | From fish stomach, "very probably Alepisaurus" | Architeuthis sp. B | Entire, sucker rings degraded and missing | Entire | Male (juvenile) | ML: 45 mm; VML: 43 mm; MW: 8 mm; FL: 14 mm; FW: 11 mm; HL: 11 mm; HW: 9 mm; GiL: 14 mm; AL(I): 20 mm; AL(II): 27 mm; AL(III): 27 mm; AL(IV): 28 mm; TL: 33 mm; CL: 14 mm; ASD(I): 0.72 mm; ASD(II): 0.88 mm; ASD(III): 0.80 mm; ASD(IV): 0.56 mm; CSD: 0.56 mm/0.24 mm (medial/marginal); extensive description and additional counts and indices | NMNH catalog no. 727509 | Roper & Young (1972:206, figs. 1d–e, 5b); Roper (1992:99, figs. 160d–e) | Nesis et al. (1985:526); Roper & Shea (2013:116) | From lancetfish captured on long-line at 80–150 m depth by R/V Shoyo Maru (Cruise 13, Fish Station 17). Squid specimen and capture information supplied by Witek L. Klawe. Stomach found to be empty. Sucker rings missing; likely degraded by digestive juices or formalin fixative. |
| 165 | 23 April 1964 | Durban Whaling Station, South Africa {SIO} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Body only | Undetermined | | ML: 58 cm; MW: 19 cm; FL: 23 cm; FW: 11.5 cm | None?; Clarke specimen No. 4 | Clarke (1980:67) | | From sperm whale number 2418. |
| 166 | 1964 | Southeastern Atlantic Ocean {SEA} | From sperm whale stomachs | Architeuthis sp. | Map locations only | | | | | Yukhov (1974:61, fig.) | | Multiple records from sperm whales with generalised data on distribution, depth, and sex. |
| 167 | 1964 | Southwestern Pacific Ocean {SWP} | From sperm whale stomachs | Architeuthis sp. | Map locations only | Undetermined | | | | Yukhov (1974:61, fig.) | | Multiple records from sperm whales with generalised data on distribution, depth, and sex. |
| 168 | 1964 | Southwestern Indian Ocean {SIO} | From sperm whale stomachs | Architeuthis sp. | Map locations only | | | | | Yukhov (1974:61, fig.) | | Multiple records from sperm whales with generalised data on distribution, depth, and sex. |
| 169 (📷) | 23 October 1964 | off Cape Fox, Conche, White Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis harveyi; Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire; no lacerations on body | Beaks, gladius, arms, and tentacles | Female | ML: 185 cm; WT: 331 lb (150 kg); additional measurements and description | MUDB; Aldrich specimen No. 1 | [Anon.] (1964:7); Daly (1964:1, fig.); Downer (1965:6, 8); [Anon.] (1969:13); Aldrich (1991:461, figs. 3–4) | Stoker (1965:8, fig.); Aldrich & Brown (1967:4, figs.); Aldrich (1968:395); Aldrich & Aldrich (1968:845, figs. 1–3); Pippy & Aldrich (1969); Aldrich (1977:2); Aldrich (1978:2); Oreskes (2003:717, fig. 3) | Nicknamed "Archi". Collected by John McGrath; initially stored frozen at Conche Bait Department before being transferred by EPA plane to Frederick Aldrich at Memorial University of Newfoundland on 7 November (where temporarily held at animal house to allow viewing by students), following three weeks of bad weather that prevented plane from landing at Conche. Weighed on Air Canada baggage scales at Torbay Airport. Said to be most discussed biological specimen in university's history. Already partially dissected by morning of 9 November; Aldrich and undergraduate student Sylvia Ruby made comparative study of its nervous system and that of commercially important Illex illecebrosus. Illustrations taken of dissected parts, together with ~150 b&w photos and ~60–70 colour photos. Nancy Frances Button (née Frost) of New Melbourne, Trinity Bay, who was person "most closely connected" to last good specimen from Newfoundland in 1935 (#111), was brought in to examine remains and said to have been "tremendous help" to Aldrich and others, for whom this was their first giant squid specimen. Two classes (Biology 230 and Biology 591) and upper level students allowed to examine remains. Great effort made to use Newfoundland news media to spread information on find to general public and request information on future specimens. Stomach empty; cestode found in caecum by Pippy & Aldrich (1969). Tentacular regeneration documented by Aldrich & Aldrich (1968); one of two published records of limb regeneration in architeuthids (as identified by Imperadore & Fiorito, 2018), the other being a case of arm and sucker regeneration in #54 (see also #549). Postulated to have died of natural causes. Frederick Aldrich included a photo of this specimen in a 1965 letter to Paul Fye, director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, proposing to use DSV Alvin to study the giant squid in its natural habitat. Served as main basis for "life-sized" giant squid model at Peabody Museum of Natural History. |
| 170 | 5 December 1964 | Chapel Arm, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found dead on bottom | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | None; discarded | Female | ML: 126 cm; additional measurements and description | None; Aldrich specimen No. 2 | Ferman (1965:6); Aldrich (1991:466, fig. 5) | Stoker (1965:8); Downer (1965:8); Aldrich (1968:395) | Possibly seen alive in September on several occasions. Found at depth of around 10 ft (3.0 m) by two young boys playing on beach, who dragged it onto beach; found two weeks later by Herbert Reid of Chapel Arm who telephoned Frederick Aldrich, having seen the latter's advertisement requesting information on any local specimens; transferred to Memorial University of Newfoundland's animal house and dissection commenced on same day. Incorrectly referred to as Illex illecebrosus by Ferman (1965:6). |
| 171 | 1960s | Bahamas (Straits of Florida) (25°45′N 79°15′W﻿ / ﻿25.750°N 79.250°W﻿ / 25.750; -79.250﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis dux | "head, beaks, eye lens" | | | "large" | RSMAS catalog no. UMML 31.642 [specimen No. 7 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Roper et al. (2015:80) | | Voss (1967:411) wrote of "the head and body of an 18-foot [5.5 m] [giant] squid picked up dead off Miami by a charter-boat captain" that he examined a week after #174 in 1965. Yoshikawa (2014) writes: "A 14-meter-long giant squid caught off the Bahamas in the Atlantic in 1966 is the largest ever confirmed." |
| 172 (📷) | 23 or 25 March 1965 | Skagen, Denmark {NEA} | | Architeuthis dux | | | Female (immature) | ML: 1190 mm [~1 m in April 2017]; TL: 5495/5307 mm; CL: 745/722 mm; CSC: 272; [left] TSC: 300 [left]; additional indices and counts | ZMUC catalog no. NHMD-141565 [specimen NA-1 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Roeleveld (2002:727); [NHMD] (2021) | | Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). Preserved in 70% ethanol; identified by Thomas Kristensen. |
| 173 | 29 September 1965 | Newman's Cove, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Not stated | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Portion of mantle, tail, and viscera | None; discarded | Female (also reported as male) | ML: 1.37 m [estimate] | None; Aldrich specimen No. 3 | Aldrich (1991:467) | [Anon.] (1965:7); Aldrich (1968:395) | |
| 174 (📷) | 8 October 1965 | Lance Cove, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found floating at surface, dead | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Parts (unspecified) | Female (immature) | ML: 127 cm; additional measurements | MUDB; Aldrich specimen No. 4 | [Anon.] (1965:7, 6 figs.); Aldrich (1991:469, fig. 6) | Voss (1967:407, 411, fig.); Aldrich & Brown (1967:6, fig.); Aldrich (1968:395, fig. 2); Welfare & Fairley (1980:72, fig.); [MIT] (2006); Greshko (2016, fig.) | Nicknamed "Harriet". Dissection by Frederick Aldrich and Gilbert Voss led to discovery of giant nerve fibres in Architeuthis; featured in March 1967 issue of National Geographic. Used in Francis O. Schmitt's animal nerve cell research in 1965. |
| 175 | 24 November 1965 | Springdale Beach, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | None; discarded | | ML: 161 cm; BL(+HL?): 2.13 m; TL: 3.66 m; GL: 147 cm; additional measurements | None; Aldrich specimen No. 5 | Aldrich (1991:469, fig. 7) | Aldrich (1968:395) | |
| 176 | 22 June 1966 | off "Vigo, Spain" (41°32′N 9°48′W﻿ / ﻿41.533°N 9.800°W﻿ / 41.533; -9.800﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Lower beak | Undetermined | | Description only | | Clarke & MacLeod (1974:962, fig. 4) | | |
| 177 | around 10 October 1966 | Skagerrak, north of Skagen, Denmark {NEA} | | Architeuthis | | | Female (immature) | ML: 1115 mm; TL: 4605 mm [right]; CL: 660 mm [right]; CSC: 250 [right]; TSC: 284 [right]; additional indices and counts | ZMUC [specimen NA-2 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Roeleveld (2002:727) | | Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 178 (📷) | 9 November 1966 | Sweet Bay, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Not stated | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire; tentacles missing and arms incomplete | Entire | Female | ML: 142 cm; additional measurements and description | MUDB; Aldrich specimen No. 6 | [Anon.] (1966:1, 3, fig.); Aldrich (1991:470) | [Anon.] (1967:11, fig.); Aldrich & Brown (1967:8, fig.); Aldrich (1968:395) | Found by Edward Legge; delivered to Memorial University of Newfoundland by Mr. Mercer of Biology Department in university truck on 11 November at 4 a.m., where it was received by Frederick Aldrich. Kept frozen in Job Brothers facility prior to dissection. Slightly larger than previous specimens; initially thought by Aldrich to be new species. |
| 179 | 24 November 1966 | Wild Cove, Fogo Island, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire, badly mutilated | None; discarded | Female | ML: 107 cm; additional measurements | None; Aldrich specimen No. 7 | Aldrich (1991:471) | Aldrich (1968:395) | |
| 180 | 25 November 1966 | off central California, United States {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | One upper beak | | None | NMML catalog no. 112 | Fiscus (1993:92) | | From male sperm whale (specimen no. Rice-1966-165). |
| 181 | 28 November 1966 | Eddie's Cove East, Strait of Belle Isle, Newfoundland {NWA} | Not stated | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire, putrefied | None; discarded | | None | None; Aldrich specimen No. 8 | Aldrich (1991:471) | Aldrich (1968:395) | |
| 182 | 1 December 1966 | off central California, United States {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | One lower beak fragment | | None | NMML catalog no. 113 | Fiscus (1993:92) | | From female sperm whale (specimen no. Rice-1966-177). |
| 183 | 9 December 1966 | off central California, United States {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | One upper beak | | None | NMML catalog no. 114 | Fiscus (1993:92) | | From male sperm whale (specimen no. Rice-1966-185). |
| 184 | 12 May 1967 | off central California, United States {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | One pair of beaks | | None | NMML catalog no. 115 | Fiscus & Rice (1974:92, fig. 1); Fiscus et al. (1989:6); Fiscus (1993:93) | | From female sperm whale (specimen no. Rice-1967-128). |
| 185 | 6 June 1967 | off Iceland (64E50'N, 29E30'W) {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Seven beaks | Undetermined | | Specimen weights estimated | | Clarke & MacLeod (1976:742) | | From 53 ft (16 m) male sperm whale (no. 121). |
| 186 | July–August 1967 | in Denmark Strait {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Beaks (as percentage of diet) | | | | | Martin & Clarke (1986:785) | Roe (1969:93) as unidentified beaks | From 57 male sperm whales processed at Hvalur H.F. whaling station on west coast of Iceland. |
| 187 | 22 July – 23 August 1967 | off Iceland {NEA} | From sperm whale stomachs | Architeuthis sp. | Two beaks | Undetermined | | Specimen weights estimated | | Clarke & MacLeod (1976:742) | | Mixed samples from stomachs of five male sperm whales 47–53 ft (14–16 m) long. |
| 188 | 23 April 1968 | off central California, United States {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | One upper beak | | None | NMML catalog no. 116 | Fiscus (1993:93) | | From female sperm whale (specimen no. Rice-1968-108). |
| 189 | 23 April 1968 | off central California, United States {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | One upper beak fragment | | None | NMML catalog no. 117 | Fiscus (1993:93) | | From male sperm whale (specimen no. Rice-1968-109). |
| 190 | 14 May 1968 | Tokyo Bay, off Miura Peninsula, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan {NWP} | Found stranded on beach | Architeuthis | Entire? | Single tentacle? | | EL: 6 m; WT: 35 kg; TL: 3200 mm [length of single extant tentacle] | Keikyu Aburatsubo Marine Park | Suyehiro (1968); Kubodera & Yamada (2001:238) | [Anon.] (2014b) | Stranded on Miura beach two days before Tokachi earthquake of 16 May 1968. Single tentacle deposited at Keikyu Aburatsubo Marine Park may belong to this specimen; see Kubodera & Yamada (2001:238). |
| 191 | 15 May 1968 | South Shore, Bermuda {NWA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux | Entire? | Entire? | | ML: ~70 cm; EyD: 20 cm | BAMZ 2007 254 015 [specimen No. 5 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Roper et al. (2015:80) | | "Suckers in 2 rows only". |
| 192 | 1968 | Puerto de Vega, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Caught by ship | Architeuthis dux | Entire? | Beak | | ?EL: 7 m | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Caught by the ship Matías Bengoechea. |
| 193 | July–November 1968 | off central California, United States ("Region II"; 34°34'–36°N 121°–123°W) {NEP} | From fish stomach, Thunnus alalunga (albacore) | Architeuthidae, Unidentified sp. | One specimen; beaks? | | | None | | Iverson (1971:14, 34) | Roper & Young (1972:221) | Single architeuthid specimen from 905 examined albacore stomachs (of which 286 from "Region II"). |
| 194 | 9 June 1969 | east of Lake Worth, Florida, United States (Straits of Florida) (coordinates given as "26°70'N 80°W" [sic]) {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis dux | "head, base of arms only" | | | "large" | RSMAS catalog no. UMML 31.675 [specimen No. 6 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Voss (1996); Roper et al. (2015:80) | Ellis (1998a:262) | |
| 195 | 13 June 1969 | off central California, United States {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | One upper beak | | None | NMML catalog no. 118 | Fiscus (1993:93) | | From female sperm whale (specimen no. Rice-1969-143). |
| 196 | 1969 | Las Tiberas, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Caught by ship | Architeuthis dux | Tentacle | | | TL: 6 m | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Caught by the ship Saturno Juan. |
| 197 (📷) | 10 or 11 July 1969 | near Cabo de Peñas, Luanco, Gozón, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Caught by sport fishermen, dying | Architeuthis dux | Entire | | | EL: >12 m; ?TL: 7.5 m; WT: 250 kg | | Guerra et al. (2006:258); [Anon.] (c. 2010, 2 figs.) | Local newspaper | Caught by sport fishermen Dr. Julián Morán and Mr. Piñón from Oviedo. Heaviest recorded giant squid from Asturias and possibly from entire Atlantic Ocean. |
| 198 | 1969 | Puerto de Figueras, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Recovered dead | Architeuthis dux | Entire? | | | ?EL: 7.90 m; WT: 120 kg | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Recovered dead by José Manuel Méndez and Bote Carducha. |
| 199 | 19 November 1969 | off central California, United States {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | One lower beak fragment | | None | NMML catalog no. 119 | Fiscus (1993:93) | | From male sperm whale (specimen no. Rice-1969-201). |
| 200 | 24 February 1970 | off central California, United States {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | One lower beak fragment | | None | NMML catalog no. 120 | Fiscus (1993:94) | | From male sperm whale (specimen no. Rice-1970-001). |
| 201 | 11 October 1970 | San Juan, Puerto Rico (Caribbean Sea) (18°32′N 66°05′W﻿ / ﻿18.533°N 66.083°W﻿ / 18.533; -66.083﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis dux | Entire? | Beaks | | ?ML: 85.1 cm | RSMAS catalog no. UMML 31.851 [specimen No. 8 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Voss (1996); Roper et al. (2015:80) | Ellis (1998a:262) | |
| 202 | 18 September 1970 | off Saint-Pierre Island, Grand Banks, Atlantic Ocean, at 293 m depth {NWA} | By trawl | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | Entire | Female | EL: 9.5 m | FOSJ; Aldrich specimen No. 9 | Aldrich (1991:471) | [Anon.] (1971:1); [Anon.] (1972:22); [Anon.] (1981:28, fig.) | Caught by Spanish pair trawlers. Presented by Government of France to Fisheries Research Board of Canada in October 1970. Largest preserved specimen at Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, where placed on display. |
| 203 | 31 October 1970 | near Azores Islands (38°34′N 28°11′W﻿ / ﻿38.567°N 28.183°W﻿ / 38.567; -28.183﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NEA} | From shark stomach, Centroscymnus coelolepis | Architeuthis sp. | "Flesh" | Undetermined | | None | | Clarke & Merrett (1972:601) | | |
| 204 | November 1970 | Tasman Sea {SWP} | From sperm whale stomachs | Architeuthis sp. | One entire; 54 lower beaks | Undetermined | Female | ML: 41.5 cm; BC: 26 cm; AL: 32–49.5 cm; TL: 140 cm; FL: 20 cm; FW: 8 cm; plus estimates of other specimen weights from beaks | | Clarke & MacLeod (1982:34) | | Combined data from stomachs of 66 sperm whales taken at various locations in the Tasman Sea. |
| 205 | 30 December 1970 | off Botany Bay, New South Wales, eastern Australia {SWP} | From shortfin mako shark stomach, Isurus oxyrinchus | Architeuthis sp. | Beak | Undetermined | | ML: 567 mm [estimate] | | Dunning et al. (1993:129) | | |
| 206 | November–April 1970 – 1973 | southeastern Atlantic Ocean (30°–43°S) {SEA} | From sperm whale stomachs | Architeuthis sp. | Stomach contents | Undetermined | | None | | Vovk et al. (1975[1978:131]) | | Specimens from sperm whales taken on 3 cruises (14 stations) of Antarctic whaling factory ship Yury Dolgoruky during November to April 1970 – 1973. |
| 207 | November–April 1970 – 1973 | Atlantic sector of Southern Ocean {SEA} | From sperm whale stomachs | Architeuthis sp. | Stomach contents | Undetermined | | None | | Vovk et al. (1975[1978:131]) | | Specimens from sperm whales taken on 3 cruises (42 stations) of Antarctic whaling factory ship Yury Dolgoruky during November to April 1970 – 1973. |
| 208 | March 1971 | Carrandi, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Not specified | Architeuthis dux | Entire? | | | WT: 80 kg | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Collected by the boat Divino San Antonio. |
| 209 | Unknown (reported 1971) | Indian Ocean {SIO} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | EL: 9 m [erroneously given as 19 m in Berzin (1971); see Romanov et al. (2017)] | | Berzin (1971:[199, fig. 98]) | Paxton (2016a:83); Romanov et al. (2017) | Taken from sperm whale stomach by whaling flotilla Sovetskaya Ukraina. Considered by Paxton (2016a:83) as possibly "longest measured" total length of any giant squid specimen (though more reliably that of #45 and 62), but this was based on the erroneous total length given in Berzin (1971). |
| 210 | 18 November 1971 | off Frenchman's Island, Sunnyside, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire; "best possible condition [...] of a squid washed ashore" | Arms and tentacles only | Female | ML: 177 cm; EL: 26 ft 4 in (8.03 m); WT: >300 lb (140 kg); additional measurements | MUDB; Aldrich specimen No. 10 | [Anon.] (1971:1, fig.); [Anon.] (1972:22, fig.); Aldrich (1991:471, fig. 8A–B) | | Found by Mr. W.T. Parsons of Sunnyside on 18 November; taken to Sunnyside on same day and collected following day by Memorial University of Newfoundland personnel. Examined by Frederick Aldrich and his research assistant C.C. Lu. |
| 211 | February 1972 | Puerto de El Musel, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Found floating at surface in visible state of decomposition | Architeuthis dux | | | | ?EL: ~3 m | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Observed[?] by Martino Andres. |
| 212 | July 1972 | near Rakautura, Kaikōura, New Zealand {SWP} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Club suckers | | TL: ~8 m | Lost | Förch (1998:106) | Dangerfield (2013) | Found by fishermen Gus and Ken Garbes. Could not be towed in due to bad weather; pieces cut off for use as bait. |
| 213 | 1972 | off Durban, South Africa {SIO} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | Female | ML: 1450 mm; extensive additional measurements, illustrations, and description | SAM catalog no. S1867 | Roeleveld & Lipiński (1991:432, pls.) | | |
| 214 | 1972 | off Newfoundland {NWA} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | | EL: 8.2 m; WT: 207 kg | Aquário Vasco da Gama, Lisbon | Marques (2002) | | On public display. Exhibited at Aquário Vasco da Gama in Lisbon (see information document). |
| 215 | 8 December 1972 | eastern equatorial Atlantic (6°34′S 5°00′W﻿ / ﻿6.567°S 5.000°W﻿ / -6.567; -5.000﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SEA} | Found in stomach contents of blue shark (Prionace glauca) | Architeuthis sp. | Jaws plus pieces of mantle, arms, tentacle | Undetermined; beaks? | | TL: 2 m [piece]; TSD: ~2 cm; ML: 70–75 cm [estimate] | | Nigmatullin (1976:29, fig. 1) | | From stomach of 2 m long blue shark. |
| 216 | 14 May 1974 | off Green Point light house, Table Bay, South Africa {SEA} | Found floating at surface, alive | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | Female (maturing–mature?) | ML: 1700 mm; LRL: 16.7 mm; URL: 17.0 mm; extensive measurements, illustrations, and description | SAM catalog no. S1868 [specimen SA-2 of Roeleveld (2000)] | Roeleveld & Lipiński (1991:433, pls.); Roeleveld (2000:185) | | Found barely alive by Capt. Hennie Smith. Beak morphometrics studied by Roeleveld (2000). |
| 217 | October 1974 | South African waters (28°00′S 14°11′E﻿ / ﻿28.000°S 14.183°E﻿ / -28.000; 14.183﻿ (Giant squid specimen); given as "28°S 14°11'E") {SEA} | By trawl; taken by fisheries vessel | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Piece of arm and tentacle | | WT: 220 kg | SAM | Pérez-Gándaras & Guerra (1989:114) | | |
| 218 | 18 February 1975 | Verdalsøra, Trondheimsfjorden, Norway {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | TL: 7.96 m; WT: 68.9 kg | | Holthe (1975:174) | | |
| 219 | 28 October 1975 | Bonavista, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire; eyes ruptured and lenses missing | None; discarded | Male (mature) | EL: 6.67 m; DML: 1.32 m; TL: 5.05 m; additional measurements | None; Aldrich specimen No. 11 | Aldrich (1979a:66, fig.); Aldrich (1991:472, fig. 9A–D) | Aldrich (1980:57, fig. 3) | Mature male with hectocotylus and protruding penis filled with spermatophores. Made available to giant squid expert Frederick Aldrich primarily through efforts of Larry Templeman and Ray Goeff, both of Bonavista. |
| 220 | 26 January 1976 | off Joban District, Japan (36°39′N 141°51′E﻿ / ﻿36.650°N 141.850°E﻿ / 36.650; 141.850﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NWP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Tentacle only | Undetermined | | None | | Okutani et al. (1976:85) | Ohsumi & Satake (1976) | From 10.6 m long male sperm whale (no. 56). |
| 221 | 26 January 1976 | off Joban District, Japan (36°40′N 141°53′E﻿ / ﻿36.667°N 141.883°E﻿ / 36.667; 141.883﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NWP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Tentacle only | Undetermined | | None | | Okutani et al. (1976:85) | Ohsumi & Satake (1976) | From 11.7 m long male sperm whale (no. 58). |
| 222 | 3 February 1976 | off Joban District, Japan (36°44′N 141°33′E﻿ / ﻿36.733°N 141.550°E﻿ / 36.733; 141.550﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NWP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 58.5 cm | | Okutani et al. (1976:85, pl. 7) | Ohsumi & Satake (1976) | From 13.0 m long male sperm whale (no. 75). |
| 223 | 4 February 1976 | off Joban District, Japan (36°46′N 141°58′E﻿ / ﻿36.767°N 141.967°E﻿ / 36.767; 141.967﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NWP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Mantle only | Undetermined | | None | | Okutani et al. (1976:85) | Ohsumi & Satake (1976) | From 9.5 m long female sperm whale (no. 79). |
| 224 | March 1976 | Wellington south coast, New Zealand {SWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | | | | NMNZ; photographs only | Förch (1998:106) | | |
| 225 | August 1976 | off Vancouver, Oregon, United States {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Entire? | Undetermined | | ML: ~2 m | | Nesis et al. (1985:523) | | |
| 226 | September 1976 | off South Africa (27°42′S 14°13′E﻿ / ﻿27.700°S 14.217°E﻿ / -27.700; 14.217﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | WL: 4.5 m; WT: 200 kg; TL: ~6 m; ML: 195 cm; radula | | Pérez-Gándaras & Guerra (1978:401, figs. 1–4) | Nesis et al. (1985:518) | Stomach contents analysed. |
| 227 | 19 November 1977 | Firth of Forth, North Berwick, Scotland (56°03.5′N 02°43′W﻿ / ﻿56.0583°N 2.717°W﻿ / 56.0583; -2.717﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux | Entire | Entire; dissected, parts preserved separately | Female | ML: 161 cm; HL: 43 cm; AL: 230 cm; TL: 440 cm; FL: 67 cm; FW: 55 cm | NMSZ catalog no. 1978090.1 | Heppell (1977:63); Heppell (1978:89); Heppell & Smith (1983:34) | Collins (1998a:489) | |
| 228 | 21 November 1977 | Lance Cove, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire | None | | Unknown size | None; Aldrich specimen No. 12 | Aldrich (1991:472) | | Report only; specimen not observed. |
| 229 | April 1978 | Jiaonon, Shandong Province, China {NWP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Beaks | Undetermined | | None | | Dong (1984:328, fig. 2.1) | | From stranded sperm whale. |
| 230 | 9 June 1978 | Miura Peninsula, Japan {NWP} | Not stated | Architeuthis cf. japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Entire | Entire, missing fins, tentacles, and arm tips | Female | ML: 540 mm; AL(IV): 830 mm [longest arm IV, missing tip] | Keikyu Aburatsubo Marine Park | Kubodera & Yamada (2001:238, pl. 2A) | | Specimen donated to aquarium by Kurihama Thermoelectric Power Plant. Tentatively assigned to A. japonica based on relative lengths of mantle and longest arm IV. |
| 231 | ~15 June 1978 | near Mack Arch, Oregon, North Pacific Ocean {NEP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Sucker rings | | WT: 225 lb (102 kg) | SBMNH catalog no. 60119 | [Anon.] (1978a); [Anon.] (1978b) | | Caught by commercial fisherman G. Steffensmier. |
| 232 | 21 June 1978 | off Fort Lauderdale, United States (Straits of Florida) (26°10′N 80°00′W﻿ / ﻿26.167°N 80.000°W﻿ / 26.167; -80.000﻿ (Giant squid specimen); given as "26°10'N 80°W") {NWA} | From fish stomach, Xiphias gladius (swordfish) | Architeuthis sp. | Entire, "mutilated specimen" | Entire | Male (mature) | ML: 167+ mm; GL: 179 mm; additional extensive description | RSMAS catalog no. UMML 31.1761 [specimen No. 9 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Toll & Hess (1981b:754, fig. 1); Roper et al. (2015:80) | Toll & Hess (1981a:768); Hess & Toll (1981:162, fig. 4); Roper (1992:99); Nesis (2001); Roeleveld (2002:736); Roper & Shea (2013:116) | From stomach of female swordfish (205 cm fork length). Very small mature specimen with spermatophores (subadult according to Roper & Shea, 2013). Toll & Hess (1981b) suggested it might be an undescribed dwarf species and Roeleveld (2002:736) wrote of this specimen: "It probably represents a distinct species and perhaps even a separate genus." Kir Nesis also thought it was probably a separate species and wrote that no new information on it had appeared in the 20 years since its original description. |
| 233 | July 1978 | Gisborne, New Zealand {SWP} | Trawl capture | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | | | | | Förch (1998:106) | The Gisborne Herald (photographs) | |
| 234 (📷) | late 1978 | Cheyne Beach Whaling Station, Albany, Western Australia {SWP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Two specimens | Undetermined | | EL: 13 m [larger specimen]; WT: 240 or 280 kg [larger specimen] | Wallaroo Heritage and Nautical Museum, South Australia (smaller specimen) | [Anon.] (1980:27, fig.); Zeidler (1996:7) | Zeidler & Gowlett-Holmes (1996:85); Sea Frontiers | Caught by Cheynes Beach Whaling Co., Albany, Western Australia; recovered shortly before whaling station's closure in late 1978. Larger specimen used in promotional displays by Hugh Edwards and photographed at Perth Royal Show. |
| 235 | Unknown (reported 1979) | Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan {NWP} | In floating blanket net | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | TL: 5.5 m; WT: 97 kg | | Satomi (1979) | Kitaguni Newspaper (photograph) | |
| 236 | 1979 | Newfoundland {NWA} | By trawl | | | | | EL: 31 ft (9.4 m) | | Ellis (1998a:263) ["Stephen, pers. comm. (1997)"] | | Captured by Spanish trawler. |
| 237 | 20 August 1979 | near Cortes Bank, California, United States, at 550 fathoms (1,010 m) depth {NEP} | From sablefish trap | Architeuthis japonica? | Tentacle only | Tentacle | | None given | SBMNH catalog no. 60117 | Sweeney & Roper (2001:[81]) ["Hochberg (in prep.)"]; Thomas (2006) | | First recorded specimen from southern California according to Eric Hochberg of Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. |
| 238 | 19 November 1979 | on beach, Saint Brendan's, Cottel's Island, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire, in several pieces | None; discarded | Female (immature) | ML: 154 cm; additional measurements | None; Aldrich specimen No. 13 | Aldrich (1979b:2, 2 figs.); Aldrich (1991:473) | Flynn & Weigall (1980); Aldrich (1982:2); Clarke (1992:72); Shirlow (2021:33, fig.) | Found by Martin Furlong of Saint Brendan's, who secured it with a line to prevent it being washed out to sea. Frederick Aldrich informed of find on 21 November; arrived at Memorial University of Newfoundland the following day. Featured in episode of 1980 documentary series Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World where date of stranding given as 22 November by Frederick Aldrich. |
| 239 | Unknown (reported 1980) | Oregon, United States {NEP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Entire? | Undetermined | | None | | Hochberg & Fields (1980:434) | Nesis et al. (1985:523) | |
| 240 (📷) | early February 1980 | Plum Island, Massachusetts, United States; see map {NWA} | Found stranded on beach | Architeuthis sp. | Entire; missing eyes, tentacles, most arm tips, and reddish skin; lost when the squid washed ashore | Entire | Female | WL: 2.7 m; ML: ~2 m; EL: ~9/~10 m [estimate]; WT: 200 kg | NMNH catalog no. 814000 [specimen No. 10 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Roper & Boss (1982:96, 100, fig.); L. Sweeney (1983); Miller (1983:110, 2 figs.) (cover story); Clark (1983); Carroll (1983); Conley-Early (1995:48); Feldman (1996); Morris (2000); Whalen (2009); [Anon.] (2009); Roper et al. (2015:80) | Sarsby (2000); Wu (2018) | On public display. Nicknamed "Moby Squid" and "Archi". Removed from beach on stretcher by four men. Originally displayed at New England Aquarium. Given as gift to National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in 1982; acquisition publicised in early 1983 at "Giant Squid Press Conference" led by giant squid expert Clyde Roper at NMNH, where displayed in "mammoth wooden bathtub" in 125 US gallons (470 L) of alcohol. Planned to be initially displayed in museum rotunda for several months before being dissected and studied. Collected for museum by Roper who flew in and moved it from Boston to Washington, D.C. in back of truck; recounted in episode of documentary series First Person in 2000. Featured in Smithsonian Institution's monthly newspaper, The Smithsonian Torch, in February 1983 and in 2000 documentary film Quest for the Giant Squid; subject of 1983 television short "The Smithsonian's Giant Squid". From 14 April 2009 displayed in 8-foot (2.4 m) fibreglass tank filled with ~300 US gallons (1,100 L) of isopropyl alcohol at Georgia Aquarium's Cold Water Quest Gallery, on loan from NMNH (planned for up to 2 years). |
| 241 | March–April 1980 | about 250 miles (400 km) off California (34°39'–35°39'N 126°25'–127°28'W), North Pacific Ocean, at 25–40 to 90 m depth {NEP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | 18 entire specimens | Undetermined | | ML: 50–77 cm (average: 62.5 cm); additional measurements, indices, and descriptions | | Nesis et al. (1985:519, figs. 1–3) | | Eighteen specimens taken in 9 trawls. |
| * | No date given | North Pacific (35°20′N 126°43′W﻿ / ﻿35.333°N 126.717°W﻿ / 35.333; -126.717﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NEP} | | Architeuthis | | Tentacles only | | ML: ~500 mm [estimate]; TL: 1030/1570 mm; CL: 311/357 mm; CSC: 247/246; TSC: >273/>274; additional indices and counts | P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology [specimen NP-33 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Nesis et al. (1985:519); Roeleveld (2002:727) | | One of the 18 specimens from record #241. Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 242 | 2 July 1980 | 1,500 miles (2,400 km) off Oregon, Northeast Pacific (42°35′N 148°35′W﻿ / ﻿42.583°N 148.583°W﻿ / 42.583; -148.583﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 15 m depth {NEP} | By pelagic trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire, minus arms and tentacles | | ML: 164 cm [fresh]; FL: 75 cm [fresh]; FW: 43 cm [fresh]; description of thawed plus preserved specimen | ZMMGU | Nesis et al. (1985:518) | | Taken by R/V Novoul'yanovsk with 133 m pelagic trawl. |
| 243 | 1980 | off New South Wales coast, Eastern Australia {SWP} | From smooth hammerhead stomach, Sphyrna zygaena | Architeuthis sp. | Beak | Undetermined | | ML: 706 mm [estimate] | | Dunning et al. (1993:124) | | |
| 244 | 1980 | Vertical de Cudillero, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Not specified | Architeuthis dux | At least a tentacle | | | WT: 100 kg [tentacle only?] | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Attempt made to haul aboard a tentacle weighing 100 kg [?], but material was discarded upon observation of its poor state. Seen from the ship Oñaegea. |
| 245 | 20 August 1980 | South African waters {SEA} | By trawl; taken by fisheries vessel | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | None | | ML: 0.81 m | | Pérez-Gándaras & Guerra (1989:114) | | |
| 246 | 21 October 1980 | Patton Escarpment, California, United States (32°28′30″N 120°15′48″W﻿ / ﻿32.47500°N 120.26333°W﻿ / 32.47500; -120.26333﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 500–600 m depth {NEP} | By RMT-8 midwater trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Tentacle club and stalk | Tentacle club and stalk | | TL: 4.27 m; CL: 41.5 cm; DC: 15.3 cm; MaL: 24.5 cm; LSD: 1.85 cm | SBMNH catalog no. 60120 | Robison (1989:39, figs. 1–2) | Packham (1998); Grann (2004) | Severed from live animal; tissue still elastic and responsive to mechanical stimulation, exhibiting grasping suckers and chromatophore contraction. Provided direct evidence for depth of occurrence. Chemical analysis carried out by Robison (1989); composition suggestive of "relatively strong swimming capability" and buoyancy due to high ammonium concentration. Flesh tasted by Robison who described it as "bitter". Featured in episode of 1998 documentary series The X Creatures. |
| 247 | February 1981 | Kāne'ohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands {NEP} | By hook and line | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Beak plus piece of flesh | | ?WL: 20 ft (6.1 m) | Undetermined | Higa (1981:9) | | Taken alive while trolling by M. Yoshida and D. Maeda; attacked by false killer whale during retrieval. |
| 248 (📷) | 10 February 1981 | ~10 miles (16 km) offshore from Kahana Bay, Oahu, Hawaii {NEP} | Caught by fisherman | "likely to be of the genus Architeuthis" | At least head and arms; skin and eye(s) intact | | (adult) | EyD: at least 270 mm [estimate]; pupil diameter: 90 mm [estimate] | | Nilsson et al. (2012:683, fig. 1) | | Caught by fisherman Henry Olsen. Photograph of freshly caught specimen taken by Ernie Choy at pier shows head with undamaged eye; used by Nilsson et al. (2012) to estimate eye and pupil diameter on basis of standard fuel hose visible in frame (findings of paper summarised by Partridge, 2012; challenged by Schmitz, 2013; Schmitz et al., 2013a, b; defended by Nilsson et al., 2013). |
| 249 | 20 May 1981 | Vavilov Ridge, Southeast Atlantic (7°56′S 0°57′E﻿ / ﻿7.933°S 0.950°E﻿ / -7.933; 0.950﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 400–470 m depth {SEA} | By 110 m cable-trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Tentacles plus part of viscera; remainder lost | | TL: 420 + 400 cm [fresh]; TL: 287 + 269 cm [fixed]; additional counts, measurements, and description | Undetermined | Nesis et al. (1985:522) | | Taken by R/V Novoukrainka. |
| 250 | 1981 | Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Not specified | Architeuthis dux | Entire? | | | ?EL: 10 m | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Displayed in a Gijón fish shop before being sold at a market in Avilés. |
| 251 | 3 August 1981 | Orange River mouth, Southeast Atlantic (27°45′S 10°45′E﻿ / ﻿27.750°S 10.750°E﻿ / -27.750; 10.750﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 18–95 m depth {SEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | | ML: 81 cm; TL: 364 cm; WT: 11.8 kg | Undetermined | Nesis et al. (1985:522) | | Taken by R/V Novoukrainka. |
| 252 | 7 September 1981 | Azores Islands {NEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Lower beak | Undetermined | | LRL: 14.1 mm | | Clarke (1986:fig. 22b) | | |
| 253 | 11 October 1981 | Tasman Sea (33°19.4′S 155°00.3′E﻿ / ﻿33.3233°S 155.0050°E﻿ / -33.3233; 155.0050﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 20 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | Larva | ML: 10.3 mm | NMV | Lu (1986:9, fig.); Roper (1992:99, fig. 161) | Zeidler & Gowlett-Holmes (1996:85); Roper & Shea (2013:116) | Captured by FRV Soela at 1450 hours. |
| 254 (📷) | 10 November 1981 | Hare Bay, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire, in remarkably good condition; skin, tentacles and eye(s) intact | Entire | Female (immature) | ML: 159 cm; EL: 32 or 42 ft (9.8 or 12.8 m) [when found]; EL: 29 ft (8.8 m) [as of 2009]; WT: 250–300 lb (110–140 kg) (or ~120 kg); additional measurements | The Rooms catalog no. MO-1692. Aldrich specimen No. 14 | Aldrich (1982:2, fig.); Aldrich (1991:473); [The Rooms] (2007:12); Bourque (2009); [Anon.] (c. 2014) | | On public display. Stranded by receding tide around 11:30 a.m.; found in 30 cm of water adjacent to the property of David Lush, who came upon it while walking with his young daughter Kelly. Lush and Ray Collins brought it to the attention of Frederick Aldrich, via Jon Lien. Viewed on beach by staff and students of Jane Collins Academy, one of whom photographed specimen in situ. Transported to the Memorial University of Newfoundland where it arrived on morning of 11 November, and dissected there on 12 November. Vivid chromatophoric colour change observed in the form of waves and flashes, and suckers of manal (central) portion of tentacular club still functioned. Eye was "relatively intact" and included lens; described by Aldrich as "first ever collected". Stellate ganglion and associated giant axon dissected out by neuroscientist Don Geduldig. Alimentary canal free of food remains. Donated by Aldrich to the Natural History Branch of the old Newfoundland Museum in 1987. Originally preserved in 300-litre tank. On 18 November 2007, following minor repairs (arms sewn up and loose skin removed), specimen was transferred to an 800-gallon (3,600 L) tank filled with propylene glycol at The Rooms, where it could be exhibited with tentacles fully extended. |
| 255 | Christmas 1981 | Playa de Luarca, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Found washed ashore on beach | Architeuthis dux | Entire?; poor condition | | | | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Found by Secundino González and Manuel Pico. |
| 256 | 1981–1984 | Azores {NEA} | From sperm whale stomachs | Architeuthis ?dux Steenstrup, 1860 | Beaks | Undetermined | | WT: 23 kg [estimated average]; ML: 1 m [estimated average] | | Clarke et al. (1993:71) | | Found in stomach contents of 76.5% of 17 sperm whales sampled during 1981–1984. |
| 257 | 30 January 1982 | off New South Wales, Australia (33°44′S 153°00′E﻿ / ﻿33.733°S 153.000°E﻿ / -33.733; 153.000﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) from surface to 600 m depth {SWP} | By oblique pelagic trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | Female (juvenile) | ML: 42.2 cm | | Jackson et al. (1991:331) | Zeidler & Gowlett-Holmes (1996:85); Roper & Shea (2013:116) | |
| 258 | July 1982 | North Canterbury, New Zealand {SWP} | Trawl capture | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Partial club | | | NMNZ; NMNZ M77446 | Förch (1998:106) | | |
| 259 | 23 August 1982 | off shore, Radøy (near Bergen), Norway {NEA} | By hook and line, caught alive | Architeuthis monachus (Steenstrup in Harting, 1860) | Entire | Undetermined | | EL: ~10 m; TL: ~7.3 m; WT: ~220 kg | ZMUB? | Brix (1983:422, fig. 1) | Brix et al. (1989:34); Hoving et al. (2006:158) | Caught in 5 m deep bay; dying at time of capture. Blood study by Brix et al. (1989). |
| 260 (📷) | September 1982 | Fladen Ground, northern North Sea, c. 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland (c. 59°00′N 0°30′E﻿ / ﻿59°N 0.5°E﻿ / 59; 0.5﻿ (Giant squid specimen)), depth unknown but 100–150 m in area [or: north of Dogger Bank, North Sea (55°30′N 3°00′E﻿ / ﻿55.500°N 3.000°E﻿ / 55.500; 3.000﻿ (Giant squid specimen); given as "55°30'N 3°E")] {NEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis spec.; Architeuthis dux | Entire; most of viscera missing, posterior tail and fins cut off, small piece of testis present, fragments of reddish membrane (which normally covers viscera) present, spermatangia deeply implanted in left arm IV (180–350 mm from base) | Entire | Male (mature?) | ML: 900 mm; MT: 22 mm [maximum]; WT: ≥18 kg [much lower than fresh mass]; AL(I): 700+/750+ mm; AL(II): 610+/870+ mm; AL(III): 980+/790+ mm; AL(IV): 830+/940+ mm; TL: 810+/1040+ mm; EyD: 80 mm; GiL: 250 mm; FuD: 55 mm; FuCL: 115 mm; ASD: 15 mm [largest]; [measurements taken after almost 25 years of preservation in formalin] | RMNH catalog nos. RMNH.MOL.92511 & 111016 | Hoving et al. (2006:153); [Naturalis] (c. 2012); [Naturalis] (2015b); [Naturalis] (2016) | | On public display. Caught by beam trawler Urk 56, operating from IJmuiden harbour; purchased from F. Sievertsen. First giant squid caught by Dutch fishermen. Probably mature, having spermatangia (inverted spermatophores) implanted in ventral arm. Exhibited at Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden in formalin or 70% alcohol. |
| 261 | October 1982 | off Japan (44°N 152°E﻿ / ﻿44°N 152°E﻿ / 44; 152﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 150–200 m depth {NWP} | Caught by squid-fishing boat | Architeuthis japonica | Entire | Entire? | | ML: 2.1 m; EL: 8.1 m; AC: 31 cm; WT: 163 kg [without viscera] | | Iida et al. (1992:2384) | | Stored frozen at −25 °C. Identified by Takashi Okutani, then of Tokai-ku Fisheries Research Institute. Chemical composition of arm and mantle tissue analysed by Iida et al. (1992). |
| 262 | 30 October 1982 | Sandy Cove, Fogo Island, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland {NWA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire, in poor condition | Entire? | Female | ML: 169 cm; additional measurements | NMSJ catalog no. MO-1693. Aldrich specimen No. 15 | Aldrich (1991:474, fig. 10) | | "Had engaged in battle with what apparently was another cephalopod". |
| 263 | 30 December 1982 | Kuzuareyama coast of Noh-machi, Niigata Prefecture, Japan {NWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Entire | Undetermined | | ?WL: 3.98 m; WT: 120 kg | | Honma et al. (1983:23, fig. 1) | | |
| 264 | 1983 | Las Tiberas, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Not specified | Architeuthis dux | | | | WT: 150 kg [dead] | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Collected by "El Dioni" of Avilés. |
| 265 | 19 August 1983 | west coast of North Island, New Zealand (39°03′S 174°04′E﻿ / ﻿39.050°S 174.067°E﻿ / -39.050; 174.067﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | None | Female (immature) | ML: 2035 mm; HL: ~0.5 m; WT: >200 kg; ASD: 23 mm | NMNZ; NMNZ M79971. Gauldie et al. specimen No. 1 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1983:6, fig.); Förch (1998:specimen 1) | Judd (1996) | Found stuck in filtering screens of cooling water intake of New Plymouth power station. Specimen "appeared to be a different species" from next New Zealand carcass (#267). |
| 266 | 8–9 January 1984 | Cove Bay (near Aberdeen), Scotland {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis cf. dux | Entire | Undetermined | Female | WL: ~4.23 m; ML: ~1.75 m; GL: 1.57 m; BC: 1.40 m; HC: 0.88 m; WT: ~168 kg; ED: <0.5–<1.0 mm | | Nixon (1984:4); Boyle (1986:81) | Boyle (1984:12); Collins (1998a:489) | Tested for buoyancy. Egg count estimated at >10×10$^6$. |
| 267 | 8 March 1984 | Auckland Islands (51°16′S 166°52′E﻿ / ﻿51.267°S 166.867°E﻿ / -51.267; 166.867﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 533 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | Female | ML: 1930 mm; no other measurements | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 2 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 2) | Judd (1996); O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Shinkai Maru. Specimen "appeared to be a different species" from previous New Zealand carcass (#265). |
| 268 | 12 April 1984 | southeast coast of North Island, New Zealand (41°11′S 176°44′E﻿ / ﻿41.183°S 176.733°E﻿ / -41.183; 176.733﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 870–1100 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | Female | ML: 930 mm; no other measurements | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 3 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 5) | O'Shea (2007) | |
| 269 | April 1984 | 3 miles (4.8 km) from Tazones, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis dux | Entire? | | | WL: 3–4 m | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Captured by Antonio Coro. |
| 270 | 3 May 1984 | near Castlepoint lighthouse, east coast of the North Island of New Zealand (40°54′S 176°14′E﻿ / ﻿40.900°S 176.233°E﻿ / -40.900; 176.233﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | Found floating | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | Female | ML: 1770 mm; no other measurements | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 4 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 3) | Judd (1996) | Specimen "brought to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Wellington on the back of a ute by a rock lobster fisherman", who initially thought it was "a large floating plastic bag" but noticed it was being attacked by gulls. Many features said to be intermediate between those of #265 and 267. |
| 271 | 9 May 1984 | Cape Palliser, Wellington, New Zealand {SWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Entire? | Undetermined | | None | | [Anon.] (1984:1); Stevens (1988:150) | | Site of stranding close (within 4–8 km) to head of Wairarapa submarine canyon. |
| 272 (📷) | 12 May 1984 | Princess Bay beach, Wellington, New Zealand (41°17′S 174°47′E﻿ / ﻿41.283°S 174.783°E﻿ / -41.283; 174.783﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | Female | ML: 1825 mm; no other measurements | None?; catalog no. M79974; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 5 [specimen No. 4 of Förch (1998)] | [Anon.] (1984:1, fig.); Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 4, frontispiece pl., figs. 3A, 7A–B, 12A) | Stevens (1988:150, fig. 3); Nesis (2001, fig.) | Collected by Ms. Kylie Solomon and Mr. Rangi Solomon. Site of stranding close (within 4–8 km) to head of Nicholson submarine canyon. |
| 273 | May 1984 | Namibia, South African waters {SEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 1250 mm[?]; WT: 38 kg; MW: 390 mm; HW: 250 mm; FL: 570 mm; FW: 280 mm[?]; TL: 4750 mm | | Pérez-Gándaras & Guerra (1989:115) | | Taken by fisheries vessel. |
| 274 | June 1984 | Chub Cay, Bahamas (25°24.25′N 77°55′W﻿ / ﻿25.40417°N 77.917°W﻿ / 25.40417; -77.917﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NWA} | Found dying at surface; not collected | Architeuthis dux | Entire; tentacles missing | None | | WL: 400 cm; WT: 114 lb (52 kg) | None [specimen No. 11 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Roper et al. (2015:80) | | Identified based on photo. |
| 275 | June 1984 | west coast hoki grounds, South Island, New Zealand {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | | | | | Förch (1998:106) | | Caught by F/V Arrow. |
| 276 | 1984 | Cal. Sierra d Oviedo, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | From shark stomach | Architeuthis dux | Severed tentacle | | | TC: >10 cm | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | |
| 277 | 25 July 1984 | northwest coast of South Island, New Zealand (41°05′S 170°52′E﻿ / ﻿41.083°S 170.867°E﻿ / -41.083; 170.867﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 475 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Entire | Female | ML: 1560 mm; TL: 7500 mm [right]; CSC: 250 [right]; additional indices and counts | NMNZ; NMNZ M.86826; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 6 [specimen NZ-6 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 6); Roeleveld (2002:727) | O'Shea (2007) | Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 278 | 24 September 1984 | southwest coast of South Island, New Zealand (46°18′S 166°30′E﻿ / ﻿46.300°S 166.500°E﻿ / -46.300; 166.500﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 365 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Entire | Female | ML: 2020 mm; TL: 6325/7250 mm; CL: 925/925 mm; CSC: 287/287; TSC: 310/310; additional indices and counts | NMNZ; NMNZ M.79976; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 7 [specimen NZ-7 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 7); Roeleveld (2002:727) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Tengawai. Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 279 | Unknown (sampled during 1984–1990) | San Miguel Island, California, United States {NEP} | From northern elephant seal stomach, Mirounga angustirostris | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | Undetermined | | None | | Antonelis et al. (1994:214) | | From three northern elephant seals, sampled during 1984–1990. |
| 280 | 6 June 1985 | New Zealand (47°04′S 169°32′E﻿ / ﻿47.067°S 169.533°E﻿ / -47.067; 169.533﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 310 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | | Female | ML: ~2000 mm | | Förch (1998:106) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Daishin Maru 23. |
| 281 | 23 July 1985 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 282 | 31 July 1985 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 283 | 26 August 1985 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 284 | 28 August 1985 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 285 | 29 August 1985 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 286 | 1 September 1985 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 287 | Unknown (reported 1986) | Unknown {?} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Buccal mass and beak | Beak | | LRL: 18.8 mm | Undetermined | Clarke (1986:fig. 22a) | | From sperm whale stomach (G17A65). |
| 288 | Unknown (reported 1986) | South Africa {SEA} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Lower beak | Beak | | LRL: 17.2 mm | Undetermined | Clarke (1986:fig. 23) | | |
| 289 | Unknown (reported 1986) | Azores Islands {NEA} | Not stated | Architeuthis sp. | Lower beak | Lower beak | | ML: 1980 mm; LRL: 19.4 mm | Undetermined | Clarke (1986:fig. 24a) | | |
| 290 | 29 January 1986 | off Aberdeen, Scotland {NEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis cf. dux | Entire | None; sold commercially | | WL: 2.98 m; ML: 1.45 m; BC: 1.10 m; AC: 0.22 m; WT: ~90 kg | | Boyle (1986:82) | Collins (1998a:489) | Caught by fishing vessel; measurements by Mr. G. Howard. |
| 291 | March 1986 | near mouth of Orange River, South Africa (27°52′S 14°40′E﻿ / ﻿27.867°S 14.667°E﻿ / -27.867; 14.667﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 510–550 m depth {SEA} | By bottom trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | Female (maturing) | ML: 1680 mm; LRL: 17.4 mm; URL: 17.1 mm; extensive measurements, illustrations, and description | SAM catalog no. S1681 [specimen SA-3 of Roeleveld (2000)] | Roeleveld & Lipiński (1991:433, pls.); Roeleveld (2000:185) | | Taken by MT Pardelhas. Beak morphometrics studied by Roeleveld (2000). |
| 292 | 31 March 1986 | Auckland Islands (50°50′S 166°51′E﻿ / ﻿50.833°S 166.850°E﻿ / -50.833; 166.850﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 296 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | Female | ML: 1720 mm; no other measurements | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 8 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 11) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Akebono Maru 73. |
| 293 | 11 April 1986 | northeast coast of North Island, New Zealand (35°43′S 174°20′E﻿ / ﻿35.717°S 174.333°E﻿ / -35.717; 174.333﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | Found floating | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | Male | ML: 1260 mm; no other measurements | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 9 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 9) | | |
| 294 | 17 April 1986 | east coast of South Island, New Zealand (43°38′S 174°43′E﻿ / ﻿43.633°S 174.717°E﻿ / -43.633; 174.717﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 470 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Entire | Female | ML: 1815 mm; TL: 3150/3110 mm; CSC: 257/248; TSC: 279 [right]; additional indices and counts | NMNZ; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 10 [specimen NZ-12 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 12); Roeleveld (2002:727) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Banshu Maru 8. Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 295 | 27 May 1986 | southwest coast of South Island, New Zealand (46°32′S 166°11′E﻿ / ﻿46.533°S 166.183°E﻿ / -46.533; 166.183﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 604 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Entire | Female | ML: 1830 mm; CL: 840 mm; additional indices and counts | NMNZ; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 11 [specimen NZ-13 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 13); Roeleveld (2002:727) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Daishin Maru 28. O'Shea (2007) gives date as 27 April. Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 296 | third week of July 1986 | Newfoundland {NWA} | Not stated | Architeuthis? | Entire?; "rotting" | | | None | | Aldrich (1991:460) | | Reported by T. Matthews of the Department of the Environment at Bristol's Hope, Conception Bay. "No information on the specimen has been obtained, save that it was in "rotting" condition". |
| 297 | 17 July 1986 (also reported as 19 July) | Randalls Bay, at mouth of Huon River, near Cygnet, Tasmania, Australia {SWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis | Entire? | None; not collected | | None given | | [TMAG] (2007:18) | Trivedi (2002); [Anon.] (2007a) | Found on beach. |
| 298 | 18 July 1986 | west coast of South Island, New Zealand (42°03′S 170°26′E﻿ / ﻿42.050°S 170.433°E﻿ / -42.050; 170.433﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 450/500 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 1380 mm; WT: 43.5 kg; see Förch (1998:110) | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 12 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:107) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Dolomit. |
| 299 | 8 September 1986 | east coast of South Island, New Zealand (43°43′S 174°56′E﻿ / ﻿43.717°S 174.933°E﻿ / -43.717; 174.933﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 480 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | Female | ML: 2140 mm; no other measurements | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 13 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 14) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Banshu Maru 8. |
| 300 | 26 February 1987 | east coast of South Island, New Zealand (44°09′S 173°44′E﻿ / ﻿44.150°S 173.733°E﻿ / -44.150; 173.733﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 350 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Entire | Male [female?] | ML: 1900 mm; CL: 755 mm; CSC: 222; additional indices and counts | NMNZ; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 14 [specimen NZ-8 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 8); Roeleveld (2002:727) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Daishin Maru 22. Roeleveld (2002) and O'Shea (2007) give coordinates of 44°09′S 173°35′E﻿ / ﻿44.150°S 173.583°E﻿ / -44.150; 173.583﻿ (Giant squid specimen) and O'Shea (2007) gives depth of 312–356 m. Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 301 | 5 March 1987 | off Shetland Islands {NEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | | Undetermined | | ML: 1100 mm | | Collins (1998a:489) | | |
| 302 | April–July 1987 | approximately 40°S 120°W﻿ / ﻿40°S 120°W﻿ / -40; -120﻿ (Giant squid specimen), South Pacific {SEP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Eight juveniles | Undetermined | (juveniles) | None | | Alexeyev (1994:156, map) | | Taken in subantarctic waters by R/V Vozrozhdeniye, cruise XI. |
| 303 | 3 May 1987 | southeast coast of North Island, New Zealand (41°31′S 176°43′E﻿ / ﻿41.517°S 176.717°E﻿ / -41.517; 176.717﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 360 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | Female | ML: 1610 mm; no other measurements | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 15 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94) | Förch (1998:107); O'Shea (2007) | Listed in table as 3 April. Used for statolith study. |
| 304 | 9 May 1987 | east coast of South Island, New Zealand (43°38′S 174°14′E﻿ / ﻿43.633°S 174.233°E﻿ / -43.633; 174.233﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 506 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | Female | ML: 2135 mm; no other measurements | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 16 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:specimen 15) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Daishin Maru 28. |
| 305 | 1987 | near Sydney, Australia {SWP} | By trawl? | Architeuthis sp. | Entire? | Undetermined | | WT: 150 kg | | Gannon (1996) | | "150 kg monster landed near Sydney in 1987" |
| 306 | 19 July 1987 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 307 | 20 July 1987 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 308 | 26 July 1987 | west coast of South Island, New Zealand (42°35′S 170°23′E﻿ / ﻿42.583°S 170.383°E﻿ / -42.583; 170.383﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 503 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 1300 mm; see Förch (1998:110) | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 17 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:107) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Zuiyo 3. |
| 309 | 26 July 1987 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 310 | 28 July 1987 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 311 | 16 August 1987 | west coast of South Island, New Zealand (41°21′S 170°30′E﻿ / ﻿41.350°S 170.500°E﻿ / -41.350; 170.500﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 464 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 1370 mm; WT: 70 kg; no other measurements | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 18 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94) | Förch (1998:108); O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Zuiyo 3. |
| 312 | 25 August 1987 | west coast of South Island, New Zealand (41°31′S 170°34′E﻿ / ﻿41.517°S 170.567°E﻿ / -41.517; 170.567﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 410–608 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | Female | ML: 1230 mm; see Förch (1998:110) | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 19 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:108) | O'Shea (2007) | |
| 313 | 2 September 1987 | east of Auckland Islands (51°18′S 170°23′E﻿ / ﻿51.300°S 170.383°E﻿ / -51.300; 170.383﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 1780 mm; see Förch (1998:110) | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 20 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:108) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Mys Kronotsky. |
| 314 | 13 October 1987 | south coast of South Island, New Zealand (46°24′S 166°23′E﻿ / ﻿46.400°S 166.383°E﻿ / -46.400; 166.383﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 487 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 1770 mm; see Förch (1998:110) | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 21 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:108) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Chiyo Maru 2. |
| 315 | October 1987 | South African waters (29°46′S 14°43′E﻿ / ﻿29.767°S 14.717°E﻿ / -29.767; 14.717﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 1790 mm[?]; WT: 130 kg; MW: 485 mm; HW: 240 mm; FL: 720 mm; FW: 360 mm | | Pérez-Gándaras & Guerra (1989:115) | | Taken by fisheries vessel. |
| 316 | 4 November 1987 | south coast of South Island, New Zealand (47°32′S 169°10′E﻿ / ﻿47.533°S 169.167°E﻿ / -47.533; 169.167﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 2010 mm; see Förch (1998:110) | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 22 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:108) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Chiyo Maru. |
| 317 | 5 November 1987 | southwest coast of South Island, New Zealand (46°31′S 166°30′E﻿ / ﻿46.517°S 166.500°E﻿ / -46.517; 166.500﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 550 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 1770 mm; no other measurements | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 23 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94) | Förch (1998:108); O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Chiyo Maru 2. |
| 318 | 26 November 1987 | off New Zealand (47°29′S 169°35′E﻿ / ﻿47.483°S 169.583°E﻿ / -47.483; 169.583﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 540 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 319 | 5 December 1987 | New Zealand (47°28′S 169°35′E﻿ / ﻿47.467°S 169.583°E﻿ / -47.467; 169.583﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 540 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | | | WT: ~80 kg | | Förch (1998:108) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Chiyo Maru 2. |
| 320 | 6 December 1987 | New Zealand (47°30′S 169°19′E﻿ / ﻿47.500°S 169.317°E﻿ / -47.500; 169.317﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 550 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | | | WT: ~20 kg | | Förch (1998:108) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Chiyo Maru 2. |
| 321 | late 1987 | hoki grounds, South Island, New Zealand {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | Female | ML: 1830 mm; no other measurements | None?; Förch specimen No. 10 | Förch (1998:107) | | |
| 322 | 25 January 1988 | Auckland Islands (51°00′S 166°42′E﻿ / ﻿51.000°S 166.700°E﻿ / -51.000; 166.700﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 495 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 | Entire | Undetermined | | ML: 1880 mm; WT: ~150 kg; see Förch (1998:110) | None?; Gauldie et al. specimen No. 24 | Gauldie et al. (1994:94); Förch (1998:108) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Nikolaevskiy Korabel. O'Shea (2007) gives date as 25 December. |
| 323 (📷) | 16 April 1988 | Uradome coast, Shirohara, Iwami-cho, Tottori Prefecture, Japan {NWP} | Found stranded in shallow water, alive | Architeuthis dux | Entire, good condition; red skin and tentacles intact, most arm tips missing | Entire | Probably female (maturity unknown) | EL: 6959 mm; DML: 1309 mm; MW: 383 mm; Mantle perimeter: 878 mm; FL: 540 mm; FW: 325 mm; HL: 350 mm; HW: 193 mm; TL: 5218/5300 mm; TCL: 703/773 mm; TSD: 20 mm [maximum]; AL(I): 1211/1492 mm; AL(II): 1781/1096 mm; AL(III): 1549/1458 mm; AL(IV): 1343/1507 mm; WT: ~80 kg; extensive additional measurements and counts | Tottori Prefectural Museum; TRPM-A-595-0201-01 | Nomura (1988:26); Tamura (1995:481); [Anon.] (2006); Wada et al. (2014:67, figs. 1–4); Shimada et al. (2017:9) | [Tottori] (2006); [Suiso] (N.d.) | On public display. Photographed in shallow water by Yasuke Yamane. Exhibited at Tottori Prefectural Museum since 21 June 1988, preserved in formalin; oldest specimen on public display in Japan. Displayed in 4 m × 0.7 m × 0.7 m tank on inclined surface so both sides can be viewed. Formed part of ground floor exhibit at Misawa Airport between 15 and 30 July 2006. Removed from old tank and examined in detail on 19 March 2013. |
| 324 | 28 July 1988 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 325 | 29 July 1988 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 326 | 31 July 1988 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 327 | 12 March 1989 | Namibia (26°07′S 13°41′E﻿ / ﻿26.117°S 13.683°E﻿ / -26.117; 13.683﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Only tentacle clubs, hectocotylus, genitalia, beaks, and statolith | Male (mature) | ML: 1220 mm [fresh]; FL: 540 mm [thawed]; FW: 460 mm [thawed]; MW: 460 mm [thawed]; TL: 5060 + 4510 mm [thawed]; WT: 41,350 g [thawed]; other measurements | ICM? | Villanueva & Sánchez (1993:33) | | |
| | 1989 | north of Cortes Bank, California, United States, at 1,800 ft (550 m) depth {NEP} | By trawl | Architeuthis japonica? | Tentacle piece | Not stated | | None given | | Thomas (2006) | | |
| 328 | August 1989 | South Shore, Bermuda (~32°12′N 64°53′W﻿ / ﻿32.200°N 64.883°W﻿ / 32.200; -64.883﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis dux | Entire?, "relatively good condition" | | | ML: 95 cm | [specimen No. 12 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Roper et al. (2015:80) | | |
| 329 | September 1989 | Santa Catarina State, Brazil (27°24′S 45°37′W﻿ / ﻿27.400°S 45.617°W﻿ / -27.400; -45.617﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis sp. | | | Female | ML: 151 cm | Instituto de Pesca, Santos, Brazil | Arfelli et al. (1991:83, figs. 2–3) | Ré et al. (1998:109) | |
| 330 | 7 February 1990 | Poipu, Kauai, Hawaiian Islands {NEP} | From sperm whale stomach | Architeuthis sp. | Lower beaks | Undetermined | | | | Clarke & Young (1998:625) | | From stranded 7250 kg male sperm whale. |
| 331 | 10 February 1990 | Long Rock, Penzance, Cornwall, England {NEA} | From stomach of stranded sperm whale | Architeuthis spp. | 47 beaks | Beaks? | | | Undetermined | Clarke & Pascoe (1997:1256) | Roper & Shea (2013:112) | From 46 ft (14 m) male sperm whale. Giant squid accounted for 43% by number and estimated 80% by weight of total stomach contents. Possibly largest number of giant squid beaks found in a single whale stomach. |
| 332 | 19 July 1990 | West Cove, San Miguel Island, California, United States {NEP} | From northern elephant seal stomach, Mirounga angustirostris | Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 | Beaks | One lower beak | | None | NMML catalog no. 486 | Fiscus (1993:94) | | From male northern elephant seal (specimen no. Y1991/1992). |
| 333 (📷) | 14 March 1991 | Soetwater, near Slangkop Lighthouse, Kommetjie (Cape Peninsula), South Africa {SEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Entire; tentacles missing, arms incomplete | Entire | Female (mature) | ML: 1850 mm; statolith; LRL: 16.2 mm [estimate]; URL: 16.5 mm; additional beak measurements | SAM catalog no. S2486 [specimen SA-4 of Roeleveld (2000)] | Lipiński (1997:299); Roeleveld (2000:185); Roeleveld (N.d.) | The Natal Mercury, 1996; Roeleveld (1998:8) | Found stranded after storm. Beak morphometrics studied by Roeleveld (2000). Model based on specimen (1.85 m ML; 9.3 m EL; 7.15 m TL) built for Aquatic World gallery of South African Museum. |
| 334 | 15 June 1991 | South Africa (34°47′S 18°14′E﻿ / ﻿34.783°S 18.233°E﻿ / -34.783; 18.233﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SEA} | Undetermined | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | Female (maturing) | ML: 1400 mm; statolith; LRL: 18.1 mm; URL: 17.6 mm; additional beak measurements | SAM catalog no. S2546 [specimen SA-5 of Roeleveld (2000)] | Roeleveld (1996); Lipiński (1997:299); Roeleveld (2000:185) | | Beak morphometrics studied by Roeleveld (2000). |
| 335 | ?, 1992 | Playa de Xagó, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Not specified; found floating at surface? | Architeuthis dux | Mantle and head at least | | | | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Rest of mantle and head wrapped in a cloth of "volanta". Found by Guardia Civil. |
| 336 | 1992 | El Musel, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Not specified | Architeuthis dux | Entire? | | | ?EL: 5 m | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | |
| 337 | April 1992 | playa de Los Positos, Mazo, La Palma, Canary Islands {NEA} | Found on beach | Architeuthis? | "remains" | "small samples" | | "large specimen" | | González & Heylen (2002:71) | | Samples taken by biologists and analysed without reaching definitive conclusion. |
| 338 | 7 May 1992 | Kommetjie (Cape Peninsula), South Africa {SEA} | Undetermined | Architeuthis sp. | Head only | Head | Female | ML: 1600 mm [estimate]; statolith; LRL: 17.1 mm; URL: 17.3 mm; additional beak measurements | SAM catalog no. S2556 [specimen SA-6 of Roeleveld (2000)] | Roeleveld (1996); Lipiński (1997:299); Roeleveld (2000:185) | | Beak morphometrics studied by Roeleveld (2000). |
| 339 | 10 June 1992 | west of Cape Columbine (32°53'S), South Africa {SEA} | Undetermined | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | Female (?maturing–mature) | ML: 1770 mm; statolith; LRL: 17.5 mm; URL: 18.8 mm; additional beak measurements | SAM catalog no. S2562 [specimen SA-7 of Roeleveld (2000)] | Roeleveld (1996); Lipiński (1997:299); Roeleveld (2000:185) | | Beak morphometrics studied by Roeleveld (2000). |
| 340 | 15–16 July 1992 | northwest of Chatham Islands; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 341 (📷) | 16 July 1992 (also reported as 20 July 1991) | Stinking Bay, near Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania, Australia (43°08′S 147°52′E﻿ / ﻿43.13°S 147.87°E﻿ / -43.13; 147.87﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis dux | Entire | Entire | Unknown | None given | NMV catalog no. MV F74346 (main specimen); TMAG catalog nos. E20643 (gladius) & E20644 (sucker rings) | [TMAG] (2007:18); [MV] (2013) | Trivedi (2002); [Anon.] (2007a) | Found on beach; collected by S. Wisby. Main specimen at Museums Victoria preserved in 70% ethanol and 4% formalin buffered with borax. Missing tentacles according to one source. |
| [7] (📷) | Unknown (reported 1993) | southern Japan {NWP} | Sick/dying animal photographed and filmed in shallow water | Architeuthis dux; Moroteuthis robusta (now known as Onykia robusta) | Entire; alive | None | | | None | Poppe & Goto (1993:pl. 28 fig. 1); Ellis (1998a:210) | Japanese made-for-television film; Norman (2000:174) | Non-architeuthid. Photograph of sick/dying Onykia robusta taken by H. Kubota in shallow water. Squid is shown with diver, although wide-angle photography exaggerates animal's size. A video of the same squid appears in a Japanese made-for-television film. If correctly identified as an architeuthid these would have been the first photo and video of a live giant squid. |
| 342 | 14 May 1993 | Morne Brabant, Mauritius {SIO} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Undetermined | | ?ML: 4.5 m; WT: 240 kg | | Staub (1993:141, pl. 1a,b) | Paxton (2016a:83) | Discussing maximum mantle length in giant squid, Paxton (2016a:83) wrote: "A 4.5 m specimen from Mauritius is often mistakenly cited but consultation of the primary paper (Staub, 1993) reveals an ill-defined length which is clearly not ML." |
| 343 | 23 December 1993 | at edge of mangroves, east side of Hungry Bay, Paget, Bermuda {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis dux | Entire? | | | ML: 7–8 ft (2.1–2.4 m) | [specimen No. 13 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Roper et al. (2015:80) | | Collected by Thad Martin; T. Murdoch and C. Bosch-de-Noya also mentioned. Not found in BAMZ collection. |
| 344 | February 1994 | La Palma, Canary Islands {NEA} | Found on beach? | Architeuthis? | "remains" | "small samples" | | None given | | González & Heylen (2002:71) | | Samples taken by biologists and analysed without reaching definitive conclusion. |
| 345 (📷) | March 1994 [or 9 November] | 3 miles (4.8 km) off Los Cristianos, southern Tenerife, Canary Islands {NEA} | Found floating at surface, half-dead | Architeuthis dux | Entire | Entire | Female (adult) | EL: >10 m; WT: 175/350/600 kg | Museo de la Naturaleza y Arqueología, Santa Cruz de Tenerife | González & Heylen (2002:69, fig.); [OAMC] (2008); [Anon.] (2014a); [MNH] (2014) | Nesis (2001); Miske (2002); [Anon.] (2004); Alcalá (2004) | Found by tourist boat Batros I. Thought to have been attacked by sperm whale 2–3 days earlier; several cetacean teeth found among remains. Replica exhibited in Museo de la Naturaleza y Arqueología (formerly Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (see video); specimen itself was long stored frozen and briefly put on public display as part of temporary exhibition "El Museo Fabulado" between 18 March and 31 May 2011. |
| 346 | 21 April 1994 | Izu-Ogasawara Islands, off central Honshū, Japan (35°20.1′N 143°00.1′E﻿ / ﻿35.3350°N 143.0017°E﻿ / 35.3350; 143.0017﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) from surface to 140 m depth {NWP} | By trawl (obliquely-towed plankton net) | Architeuthis sp. | Entire; "not in good condition" | Entire | (juvenile) | ML: 19.8 mm; FL: 4.5 mm; HL: 6.4 mm, additional measurements | Not stated | Tsuchiya & Mori (1998:225) | Roper & Shea (2013:116) | |
| 347 | May 1994 | New Zealand (43°55′S 176°50′E﻿ / ﻿43.917°S 176.833°E﻿ / -43.917; 176.833﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 515 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | In pieces | | ML: 1850 mm; FL: 760 mm | NMNZ; NMNZ M18019 | Förch (1998:109) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Dalmor. |
| 348 | May 1994 | New Zealand (43°48′S 177°35′E﻿ / ﻿43.800°S 177.583°E﻿ / -43.800; 177.583﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 514 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Incomplete | | ML: 1110 mm; FL: 490 mm | NMNZ; NMNZ M18020 | Förch (1998:109) | O'Shea (2007) | Caught by F/V Dalmor. |
| 349 (📷) | August 1994 | off Ishikawa-shi (now part of Uruma-shi), Okinawa Prefecture, Japan {NWP} | Not stated | giant squid ("ダイオウイカ") | Entire; tentacles intact | Entire | | EL: 6.37 m; WT: 63 kg | Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium | Shimada et al. (2017:9) | | On public display. Exhibited at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, preserved in formalin. |
| 350 | January 1995 | off King Island, Bass Strait {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis | | | | "slightly larger" than specimen of 9 March 1995 | | Zeidler & Gowlett-Holmes (1996:85) | | |
| 351 | January 1995 | 500 km off South Island, New Zealand {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis | | | | "even larger" than January 1995 specimen from King Island | | Zeidler & Gowlett-Holmes (1996:85) | | |
| 352 | 9 March 1995 | ~3.2 nautical miles (5.9 km) SSE of Cape Banks, Australia (37°56.32′S 140°20.79′E﻿ / ﻿37.93867°S 140.34650°E﻿ / -37.93867; 140.34650﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | Found floating at surface, recently dead | Architeuthis sp. | Entire, tail damaged, all arms damaged (with most tips missing), tentacles damaged (left missing club, right with detached club portion), eyes missing, head detached | Entire | Female | ML: 1530 mm; VML: 1400 mm; MW: 440 mm; MT: 40 mm [maximum]; HL: 320 mm; HW: 270 mm; WT: 48 kg (mantle) + 38 kg (head with limbs); moreFL: 430 mm; FW: 175 mm; FuL: 250 mm; FuD: 110 mm; FuCL: 190 mm; FuCW: 50 mm [maximum]; GL: 1440 mm; GW: 190 mm [maximum]; RL: 340 mm; RW: 130 mm [maximum]; EyOD: 170 mm; distance between eye orbits (dorsally): 90 mm; RL: 70 mm [curled]; RW: 10 mm [between teeth, maximum]; AL(I): 810/610 mm; AL(II): 1450/1120 mm; AL(III): 1330/1290 mm; AL(IV): 1140/1750 mm; ASD: 7–14 mm [left arm I]; TL: 4260/2970 mm (7390 mm total incl. detached club portion); DC: 195 mm; MaL: 410 mm; CaL: 130 mm; CW: 50 mm [maximum]; CSD: 25 mm [maximum]; LRL: 18 mm; URL: 18 mm; additional beak measurements | SAMA; SAMA D18936 (main specimen) + B80 (frozen sample) + XD0040 (alcohol-fixed sample) | Zeidler & Gowlett-Holmes (1996:85) | Ellis (1998a:6) | Caught by Martin Von Stanke on F/V Ocean Lady over ~25 m bottom depth. Stored on ice and transported to museum (with assistance of Thierry Laperousaz) after 1 day without prior freezing. Tissue samples from digestive gland and arm (SAMA B80) saved at −80 °C, muscle samples from mantle and tentacle (SAMA XD0040) preserved in 100% alcohol. moreBeak, radula and fragmented gladius removed and preserved separately. Stomach contained only 9 undetermined squid suckers (13–16 mm diameter) and remains of others. Two large gashes (~20 cm) on left side of mantle may indicate predator attack (but no whales sighted in area at the time). |
| 353 | 2 April 1995 | Golfo San Jorge, Argentina (46°30′S 66°00′W﻿ / ﻿46.500°S 66.000°W﻿ / -46.500; -66.000﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 70 m depth {SWA} | By trawl | Architeuthis | | | Female (mature) | ML: 1625 mm | Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Buenos Aires | Brunetti et al. (1998:xxx) | Ré et al. (1998:109); [Anon.] (1999a); Brunetti et al. (1999:16); [Anon.] (2016) | Originally displayed in the hall of marine giants (sala de gigantes del mar) at Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" in Buenos Aires from 1996, but removed in 2005 due to "technical issues" affecting it. Considered the museum's iconic specimen, it was placed back on display in July 2016 (see video) as part of celebrations of the museum's 204th anniversary (see video). |
| 354 (📷) | 26 April 1995 | west of Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland (53°00′N 12°20′W﻿ / ﻿53.000°N 12.333°W﻿ / 53.000; -12.333﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 287 m depth {NEA} | By 80 mm mesh benthic trawl | Architeuthis sp.; Architeuthis dux | Entire | Head, tentacles, heart, and gills | Male (mature) | ML: 1028 mm; MW: 379 mm; TL: 4555 mm; EL: 5970 mm; WT: 26.9 kg; moreHL: 275 mm; HW: 135 mm; AL(I): 870 mm; AL(II): not measured; AL(III): 1054 mm; AL(IV): 1512/1465 mm; LAL: 1512 mm; TCL: 504 mm; DC: 158 mm; MaL: 252 mm; CaL: 94 mm; HeL: no obs.; FL: 390 mm; FW: 298 mm (one fin: 149 mm); EyD: 80 mm; PL: 555 mm; SoA: no obs.; SL: 125–150 mm; LRL: 10.9 mm; URL: 12.5 mm; SInc: 294; G(W): 4.25% | NMI catalog no. 1995.14 | McSweeney (1995); Collins et al. (1997:562); Guerra et al. (2004:8); Nunn & Holmes (2008) | Lordan et al. (1998:905); Collins (1998a:489); O'Sullivan (2017) | Taken by trawler M.F.V. Sionnainn, skippered by Michael Flannery (Flannery's son caught two giant squid in the same area in 2017: #651 and 652). University College Cork scientist Colm Lordan interviewed about find on RTÉ News on 1 May 1995; examination began same day. Donated to National Museum of Ireland – Natural History by Lordan; preserved in spirit. |
| 355 | 24 June 1995 | Porcupine Bank, Ireland (52°25′N 13°45′W﻿ / ﻿52.417°N 13.750°W﻿ / 52.417; -13.750﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 300 m depth {NEA} | By 80 mm mesh benthic trawl | Architeuthis sp.; Architeuthis dux | Entire | Undeterminded | Male (mature) | ML: 975 mm; MW: 335 mm; EL: 5950 mm; WT: 22.45 kg; moreHL: 270 mm; HW: 137 mm; TL: 4823 mm; TCL: 500 mm; DC: 172 mm; MaL: 252/236 mm; CaL: 77/92 mm; FL: 356 mm; FW: 266 mm; EyD: 95 mm; PL: 574 mm; SoA: no obs.; SL: 120–140 mm; HeL: no obs.; LRL: 12.7 mm; URL: 12 mm; SInc: 375; G(W): 3.29% | NMI catalog no. 1995.44 | Collins et al. (1997:562); Guerra et al. (2004:8); Nunn & Holmes (2008) | Lordan et al. (1998:905); Collins (1998a:489); O'Sullivan (2017) | Taken by trawler M.F.V. Sionnainn, skippered by Michael Flannery (Flannery's son caught two giant squid in the same area in 2017: #651 and 652). Donated to National Museum of Ireland – Natural History by Colm Lordan; preserved in spirit. |
| 356 | 25 June 1995 | southwest of Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland (52°50′N 10°20′W﻿ / ﻿52.833°N 10.333°W﻿ / 52.833; -10.333﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 110 m depth {NEA} | By 80 mm mesh benthic trawl | Architeuthis sp.; Architeuthis clarkei; Architeuthis dux | Entire | Head and mantle | Male (mature) | ML: 1084 mm; MW: 335 mm; WT: 26.5 kg; moreHL: 288 mm; HW: 144 mm; AL(IV): 1111 mm; LAL: 1111 mm; FL: 368 mm; FW: 264 mm; EyD: 96 mm; HeL: no obs.; PL: 702 mm; SoA: no obs.; SL: 135–155 mm; LRL: 13.3 mm; URL: 10 mm; SInc: 422; G(W): 2.96% | NMI catalog no. 1995.43 | Collins et al. (1997:562); Guerra et al. (2004:8); Nunn & Holmes (2008) | Lordan et al. (1998:905); Collins (1998a:489) | Taken by trawler Galway. Donated to National Museum of Ireland – Natural History by Colm Lordan; preserved in spirit. |
| 357 | 26 June 1995 | off Fowey Rocks Light, Florida, United States (Straits of Florida) (24°45′N 81°00′W﻿ / ﻿24.750°N 81.000°W﻿ / 24.750; -81.000﻿ (Giant squid specimen); given as "24°45'N 81°W") {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis dux | Entire?, "mutilated remains" | | | EL: 15–18 ft (4.6–5.5 m); WT: 60 lb (27 kg) | [specimen No. 14 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Roper et al. (2015:80) | | Identified based on photo. |
| | 7 July 1995 | south Tenerife, Canary Islands {NEA} | Recovered by fishermen, dead | Architeuthis dux | Entire?, "partially damaged"; possibly with incomplete limbs and missing posterior end of mantle | Beak (at least) | Female | DML: 1520 mm [DML estimated from LRL: 1418/1493 mm]; EL: 7.6 m [estimated from DML estimate]; LRL: 16.0 mm; URL: 15.0 mm; additional beak measurements | [specimen ID1 of Perales-Raya et al. (2020)] | Perales-Raya et al. (2020:359, 361, 365) | | Beak increments used by Perales-Raya et al. (2020) to estimate age at 615 days. Beak preserved in 70% ethanol upon collection; rehydrated in distilled water for several days prior to age estimation. |
| 358 | 10 July 1995 | South Africa (32°50′S 16°40′E﻿ / ﻿32.833°S 16.667°E﻿ / -32.833; 16.667﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SEA} | Undetermined | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | Male (mature) | ML: 1180 mm; statolith; LRL: 14.1 mm; URL: 15.4 mm; additional beak measurements | SAM catalog no. S3353 [specimen SA-10 of Roeleveld (2000)] | Lipiński (1997:299); Roeleveld (2000:185) | | Beak morphometrics studied by Roeleveld (2000). |
| 359 | 15 July 1995 | Golfo San Jorge, Bahía Bustamante, Argentina (45°12′S 66°30′W﻿ / ﻿45.200°S 66.500°W﻿ / -45.200; -66.500﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWA} | Found washed ashore on mat of seaweed | | | | Female (immature) | ML: 1300 mm | | Ruiz & Fondacaro (1996) | Ré et al. (1998:109); Brunetti et al. (1999:16) | |
| 360 | 27 September 1995 | Playa de los Pozos, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | By seine fishing | Architeuthis dux | Entire? | | | WT: 160 kg | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Caught by the boats Nuevo Juanito and Hermanos of Avilés using a seine. |
| 361 | 1 December 1995 | off South Island, New Zealand (43°24'–43°31'S 169°20'–169°10'E) at 305 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | | | NIWA | Puente (1996); O'Shea (2007) | | Collected by T. Devlin on F/V J. Elaine. O'Shea (2007) gives coordinates as 43°24.31′S 169°20.10′E﻿ / ﻿43.40517°S 169.33500°E﻿ / -43.40517; 169.33500﻿ (Giant squid specimen). |
| 362 | December 1995 | off New Zealand (43°26′S 176°23′E﻿ / ﻿43.433°S 176.383°E﻿ / -43.433; 176.383﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | | Architeuthis | Entire? | Entire?, left tentacle loose | Male (mature) | ML: 1200 mm; TL: 2757+ mm [left]; CL: 552 mm [left]; CSC: 247 [left]; TSC: 278 [left]; additional indices and counts | NMNZ; NMNZ Z.8900 [specimen NZ-36 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Roeleveld (2002:727) | | Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 363 | 31 December 1995 | off South Island, New Zealand (43°12.3′S 178°19.9′W﻿ / ﻿43.2050°S 178.3317°W﻿ / -43.2050; -178.3317﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 425 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire, both tentacles loose | Female (maturing?) | ML: 2000 mm; WT: ~600 lb (270 kg); TL: 7300 mm [later 5702/4813 mm]; CL: 850 mm [later 812/753 mm]; CSC: 243/242; TSC: 273/268; additional indices and counts | NMNZ; NMNZ Z.8436 [specimen NZ-16 of Roeleveld (2002)] | Ellis (1997:1); Förch (1998:specimen 16); Roeleveld (2002:727, figs. 2–3) | Puente (1996); [Anon.] (1996a); O'Shea (2007) | Collected by FRV Tangaroa. Originally deposited at NIWA. Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 364 | 31 December 1995 | off New Zealand (43°12′S 178°20′W﻿ / ﻿43.200°S 178.333°W﻿ / -43.200; -178.333﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 425 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | Listed as separate record by O'Shea (2007). |
| 365 | Unknown (reported 1996) | near Mt Gambier, off Cape Banks, South Australia {SWP} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | Female | WT: 86 kg; BL+HL: 1.85 m; AL: 1.75 m (longest); TL: 7.39 m (longest); EyOD: 17 cm; EL: >9 m | SAMA | Zeidler (1996:7, fig.) | | Female with fully formed ovaries and small white eggs. |
| 366 | "very early" January 1996 [or 16 January] | off South Island, New Zealand (43°26.47′S 176°23.17′E﻿ / ﻿43.44117°S 176.38617°E﻿ / -43.44117; 176.38617﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 310 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | Male | TL: 21 ft (6.4 m) | NIWA | Ellis (1997:9) | Förch (1998:109); Puente (1996); [Anon.] (1996a); O'Shea (2007) | Caught by FRV Tangaroa. |
| 367 | February 1996 | off New Zealand (43°26′S 176°23′E﻿ / ﻿43.433°S 176.383°E﻿ / -43.433; 176.383﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 310 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 368 | February 1996 | Perlora, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Not specified | Architeuthis dux | Mantle severed in its first third, missing arms and tentacles | | | | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | |
| 369 (📷) | 14 March 1996 (also reported as 25 March) | Cape Sorell, off Strahan, west coast of Tasmania, Australia (42°15′S 144°41′E﻿ / ﻿42.250°S 144.683°E﻿ / -42.250; 144.683﻿ (Giant squid specimen)–42°00′S 144°35′E﻿ / ﻿42.000°S 144.583°E﻿ / -42.000; 144.583﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 840–1000 m depth {SWP} | Captured live by commercial trawl fishing for orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus), but likely died under weight of fish during haul to surface | Architeuthis sanctipauli Velain, 1877 | Entire; missing majority of skin | Entire | Female (subadult) | ML: 191 cm; EL: 12 m [estimate] | NMV catalog no. MV F74479; TMAG catalog no. E23143 | Norman & Lu (1997:683, fig. 1a); Norman (2000:152, fig.); Landman et al. (2004:685); [TMAG] (2007:18) | Ellis (1998a:6) | Isotopic analysis of statolith carried out by Landman et al. (2004) to determine age and habitat. Photographed by David Paul. |
| 370 | 21 March 1996 | off New Zealand (50°50′S 166°55′E﻿ / ﻿50.833°S 166.917°E﻿ / -50.833; 166.917﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 420 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 371 (📷) | 22 March 1996 | between Macquarie Harbour and Port Davey, off west coast of Tasmania, Australia (42°54′S 145°0′E﻿ / ﻿42.900°S 145.000°E﻿ / -42.900; 145.000﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 458/460 m depth {SWP} | Captured live in commercial fishing trawl | Architeuthis sanctipauli Velain, 1877 | Entire, skin largely intact | Entire | Female (submature) | ML: 2.4 m; EL: 15 m [intact estimate]; WT: 220 kg; ovary: ~3 kg ("small") | NMV catalog no. MV F74482 | Norman & Lu (1997:683, fig. 1b–d); Norman (2000:154, 4 figs.); Landman et al. (2004:685); [TMAG] (2007:18) | Ellis (1998a:6); Packham (1998); [Anon.] (2003, fig.); Roper & Shea (2013:114, 116); Perales-Raya et al. (2020:357, 369–370) | Mated female with spermatophores embedded in epidermis of both ventral arms, around 1 m from mouth. Ovary occupying <20% of mantle cavity contained "hundreds of thousands of undeveloped eggs". Adult specimen according to Landman et al. (2004:686). Isotopic analysis of statolith carried out by Landman et al. (2004) to determine age and habitat. Photographed by David Paul. Featured in episode of 1998 documentary series The X Creatures. Based on mantle length described as "largest measured specimen" by Perales-Raya et al. (2020), who estimated age of specimen (and maximum lifespan of species) at 2.5–5.1 (mean 3.3) years or 2.1–3.5 (mean 2.6) years, depending on growth rate estimate. Also cited by Roper & Shea (2013:114) as specimen with one of greatest recorded mantle lengths. |
| 372 (📷) | 24 May 1996 | Golfo San Jorge, Bahía Bustamante, Argentina (45°08′S 66°31′W﻿ / ﻿45.133°S 66.517°W﻿ / -45.133; -66.517﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWA} | Found washed ashore, dead | Architeuthis sp. | | Entire | Female (immature) | ML: 1940 mm; ?TL: 4.2 m; WT: 180 kg; see Ré et al. (1998) | MCNOPM | Ré et al. (1996:161, fig. 1); Ré et al. (1998:109) | Brunetti et al. (1999:16, fig. 7A) | Exhibited at the museum of Puerto Madryn. Photographed with two children. |
| 373 | 10 June 1996 | off King Island, Tasmania, Australia, at 1000 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | | WT: >200 kg; ?TL: 8 m | NMV | Gannon (1996); [Anon.] (1996b) | Ellis (1998a:6) | Captured by D. McNamara and R. Bradshaw on trawler Empress Pearl. |
| 374 | 1 October 1996 (also reported as 10 January) | off King Island, northwest of Tasmania, Australia (40°S 143°9′E–40°15′S 143°15′E﻿ / ﻿40.250°S 143.250°E﻿ / -40.250; 143.250﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 897/980–1000 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sanctipauli Velain, 1877 | Entire? | Entire | Female (subadult) | ML: 159 cm (without fins) | NMV catalog no. MV F78297 | Landman et al. (2004:685); [TMAG] (2007:18) | Carlini (1998); Carlini & Graves (1999:60) | Tissue sample used for COI sequence analysis by Carlini (1998) and Carlini & Graves (1999) (GenBank accession: AF000027). Isotopic analysis of statolith carried out by Landman et al. (2004) to determine age and habitat. |
| 375 | 19 November 1996 | off Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico {NEP} | Found in stomach contents of blue shark (Prionace glauca) | Architeuthis sp. | Pair of beaks (from a single specimen) | Entire | | LRL: 13.44 mm; ML: 741.5 mm [estimate]; WT: 24365.0 g [estimate] | | Markaida & Sosa-Nishizaki (2010) | | Live weight constituted an estimated 7.27% of total prey weight from 893 blue sharks sampled. First giant squid record from Mexican waters and southernmost record in the California Current. |
| 376 | 1996 | Chatham Rise, New Zealand {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | ?EL: 26 ft (7.9 m) | | O'Shea (1997) | Ellis (1998a:264) | |
| 377 | 1996 | Chatham Rise, New Zealand {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | ?EL: 13 ft (4.0 m) | | O'Shea (1997) | Ellis (1998a:264) | |
| 378 | 1996 | New Zealand {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | ?EL: 22–26 ft (6.7–7.9 m) | | O'Shea (1997) | Ellis (1998a:264) | |
| 379 (📷) | 24 December 1996 | Hawai, Tōhaku District, Tottori Prefecture, Japan {NWP} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis japonica | Entire, tentacles missing | Entire | | ML: 171 cm; WL: ~450 cm [or 14.4 ft (4.4 m)]; EL: ~10 m [estimate; or 7–8 m]; WT: 120–150 kg | National Museum of Nature and Science (Tokyo) | [NSMT] (2012) | The Japan Times, 1996; Ellis (1998a:264); [Anon.] (2005); Shimada et al. (2017:9) | On public display. Exhibited at the National Museum of Nature and Science (preserved in formalin), where it formed the backdrop for a press event with Tsunemi Kubodera on the first images of a live giant squid in the wild (#492). |
| 380 | 1997 | off Sergipe, Brazil {SWA} | "found" | Architeuthis | | | | | | Martins & Perez (2009) | | Unreported prior to Martins & Perez (2009). |
| 381 (📷) | 16 July 1997 | North Sea at 100 m depth {NEA} | Caught in net | Architeuthis | Entire; tentacles intact | Entire | | ?EL: 5 m | SMNH | [SMNH] (2015); [SMNH] (N.d.) | | On public display. Caught by Danish fishermen. Exhibited in tank at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm. |
| 382 | 28 October 1997 | 10 miles (16 km) offshore, Bahamas (Straits of Florida) {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis dux | Entire?, "completely intact body" | | | None given | [specimen No. 15 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Roper et al. (2015:80) | | Found over bottom depth of 2000 m. |
| 383 (📷) | 16 November 1997 | beach near Fuengirola, Andalusia, Spain (36°34′36″N 04°35′06″W﻿ / ﻿36.57667°N 4.58500°W﻿ / 36.57667; -4.58500﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {MED} | Found washed ashore dead but relatively fresh | Architeuthis sp. | Entire; tentacles missing, all arms incomplete except I(R) and II(R), lower beak damaged, upper beak broken, most sucker rings lost, reddish skin largely missing | Entire | Female (almost mature) | DML: 1495 mm; MW: 600 mm [maximum]; HL: 300 mm; HW: 380 mm; FL: 540 mm [including 'tail']; FW: 440 mm; EyD: 160/160 mm; AL(I): 76/118 mm; AL(II): 81/139 mm; AL(III): 103/126 mm; AL(IV): 123/130 mm; GiL: 242/272 mm; NGL: 450/450 mm; ovary length: 544 mm; URL: 17.2 mm; WT: 104 kg; additional beak measurements | Museo Alborania, Aula del Mar de CREMA, Málaga, Spain | González et al. (2000:745, fig. 1); [Anon.] (2000b:25) | Guerra et al. (2006:89); see museum guide | On public display. First known giant squid specimen from the Mediterranean Sea. Frozen after discovery; later thawed and preserved in formaldehyde. Nidamental glands and ovary (occupying 36% of mantle cavity) very well developed, latter containing hundreds of thousands of still-opaque eggs; stomach empty. Guerra et al. (2006:89) give mid-1998 as date and ~125 cm as mantle length. |
| 384 | December 1997 – April 1998 | Chatham Rise, New Zealand {SWP} | "Captured" | Architeuthis | Seven specimens | | 5 males (mature), 2 females (mature) | | | Landman et al. (1999:72) | | |
| 385 (📷) | 27 December 1997 | Merneo [Mernoo] Bank, Chatham Rise, New Zealand (44°20.4–23.5'S 173°54.3–37.0'E) at 671–674 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirki Robson, 1887 | Entire; tentacles broken off, minor damage to fins and one arm | Entire | Male (mature) | ML: 1.24 m; ?WL: 25.25 ft (7.70 m) ["without ten[t]acles"]; WT: ~200 lb (91 kg) [220 kg per specimen label]; EyD: 6 in (15 cm); beak crest length: 47.5 mm | AMNH catalog no. 291938 (main specimen; buccal mass and beak stored separately) | [AMNH] (1998a); [AMNH] (1998b); Landman & Ellis (1998:150, fig.); Cordeiro & Hussaini (1999:25); Landman et al. (1999:72); Dussling & Johnson (1999); [AMNH] (1999); Pollak (1999); [AMNH] (2013); Landman (2015) | Tanabe (2012:12, fig. 3 subfigs. 2a–b); Tanabe et al. (2015:35) | Collected by commercial fishermen of F/V Aquila. Offered as gift to AMNH by Steve O'Shea of NIWA, who contacted Neil Landman in March 1998. Transported from Wellington to New York City by combination of refrigerated trucks and air cargo (with unscheduled delay in Los Angeles). Received by AMNH still frozen on 10 June 1998, as first specimen in its history. Photographed by Portia Rollings of AMNH upon arrival. Examined and preserved by Landman and Paula Mikkelsen. moreTissue samples taken and beak and radula removed and placed in 95% ethanol. Specimen injected with and fixed in 10% saline formalin solution. Kept this way for 2 weeks and buffered in first 4 days (ultimately with sodium bicarbonate) to preserve sucker rings. Next subjected to 5 days of freshwater washes and finally transferred to 70/75% ethanol. Mature spermatophore found in mantle cavity. Put on display in Hall of Biodiversity from 12 October 1999, in 1500-litre stainless steel and fibreglass tank (built under direction of David Harvey) with tentacles taken from #390. Covered in 1999 children's book Giant Squid: Mystery of the Deep. |
| 386 (📷) | 18 January 1998 | Newburgh beach, Aberdeenshire, Scotland {NEA} | Found washed ashore | Architeuthis sp. | Entire, "good condition" | Entire | Female (immature) | ML: 1230 mm; EL: 4.6 m; WT: 40 kg; see Collins (1998a:491) | NMSZ | Collins (1998a:491); Collins (1998b, 6 figs.) | Collins (1998c); Boyle & Rodhouse (2005:196, fig. 12.1.1) | Found on snow-covered beach by M.Sc. student Oscar Campbell who collected tentacular club; identified as Architeuthis at University of Aberdeen. Measured in situ following day by Martin Collins's group and dragged in two pieces (mantle, head plus limbs) to Zoology Department, where measured and dissected; stomach empty. Beak and buccal mass removed and put on display at Zoology Department. |
| 387 | 13 March 1998 | off New Zealand (42°50.9–49.8'S 177°16.6'–176°55.3'E) at 489–475 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 388 | 9 April 1998 | South Patagonian shelf, off Argentina (50°39.0′S 66°35.3′W﻿ / ﻿50.6500°S 66.5883°W﻿ / -50.6500; -66.5883﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 105 m depth (bottom depth also 105 m) {SWA} | By bottom trawl | Architeuthis sp. | | | Female | ML: 1.4 m | Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP) | Brunetti et al. (2002) | [Anon.] (1999a); Brunetti et al. (1999:16) | Taken by the vessel Kasuga Maru of the Pespasa fishing company. Collected by fishery inspector. Surface water temperature recorded as 9.1 °C and air temperature as 14 °C. |
| 389 | 9 April 1998 | off New Zealand (44°00′S 177°35′W﻿ / ﻿44.000°S 177.583°W﻿ / -44.000; -177.583﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 500 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 390 | 10 April 1998 | off New Zealand (43°56.8'–44°03.8'S 175°51.6–30.1'E) at 519–523 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis kirki Robson, 1887 | | | | | AMNH (two tentacles and one complete arm) | O'Shea (2007); Landman (2015) | | Collected by commercial fishermen of F/V Aquila. Displayed at American Museum of Natural History with body of #385. |
| 391 | 18 April 1998 | about ten miles (16 km) from Saint Paul, La Réunion Island (21°00′S 55°45′E﻿ / ﻿21.000°S 55.750°E﻿ / -21.000; 55.750﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SIO} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis dux | "big chunk of flesh ... including the base of the arms, head and the upper part of the mantle" | Buccal mass, beak; tip of rostrum of lower beak broken | | LRL: 17.0–17.5 mm [estimate]; ML: 174–193 cm [estimate] | | Cherel (2003:1295) | | Fishermen reported rapid skin colour change, suggesting chromatophores were still active and specimen was freshly dead. Other remains of large squid were observed. Sperm whales said to have occurred in the area at the time. |
| 392 | 28 July 1998 | off New Zealand (42°32.2′S 170°24.1′E﻿ / ﻿42.5367°S 170.4017°E﻿ / -42.5367; 170.4017﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 500–575 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 393 | 29 July 1998 | off New Zealand (41°59'–42°10'S 170°32–33'E) at 405 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 394 | 31 July 1998 | off New Zealand (41°05′S 170°50′E﻿ / ﻿41.083°S 170.833°E﻿ / -41.083; 170.833﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 452–526 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 395 | 20 August 1998 | off New Zealand (42°00′S 170°30′E﻿ / ﻿42.000°S 170.500°E﻿ / -42.000; 170.500﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 396 | 13 November 1998 | Kerguelen waters in southern Polar Frontal Zone (47°14′S 69°23′E﻿ / ﻿47.233°S 69.383°E﻿ / -47.233; 69.383﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 630–710 m depth {SIO} | Found in stomach contents of sleeper shark (Somniosus sp.) | Architeuthis dux | Lower and upper beak | Entire | | LRL: 15.51 mm; ML: 128 cm [estimate] | | Cherel (2003:1296); Cherel & Duhamel (2004:25) | Rincon (2004) | Mantle length estimated using allometric equation from Roeleveld (2000). |
| 397 | 19 December 1998 | off New Zealand (43°18.5–32.6'S 174°10.5–17.7'E) at 567 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 398 | between 26 December 1998 and 9 February 1999 | off New Zealand (44°11.2′S 178°15.7′W﻿ / ﻿44.1867°S 178.2617°W﻿ / -44.1867; -178.2617﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 500 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| [8] | 1999 (reported) | New Zealand {SWP} | | Architeuthis; Asperoteuthis lui Salcedo-Vargas, 1999 | | | | | | Salcedo-Vargas (1999) | | Non-architeuthid. |
| 399 | 7 January 1999 | off New Zealand (43°51.34'S 173°20'–174°37'E) {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 400 | 22 January 1999 | off New Zealand (43°33′S 174°18′E﻿ / ﻿43.550°S 174.300°E﻿ / -43.550; 174.300﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 401 | 22 January 1999 | off New Zealand (44°08.2'–43°58.5'S 175°20.3'–174°45.5'E) {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 402 | 27 January 1999 | off New Zealand (44°20.5′S 177°08.8′W﻿ / ﻿44.3417°S 177.1467°W﻿ / -44.3417; -177.1467﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 504 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 403 | 12 February 1999 | off New Zealand (44°16.0′S 179°16.7′W﻿ / ﻿44.2667°S 179.2783°W﻿ / -44.2667; -179.2783﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 545 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 404 | 15 February 1999 | South Patagonian shelf, <30 miles (48 km) off Isla de los Estados, Argentina (53°54.6′S 63°45.9′W﻿ / ﻿53.9100°S 63.7650°W﻿ / -53.9100; -63.7650﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 316–360 m depth (bottom depth 450 m) {SWA} | By midwater trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire | Entire | Female | ML: 1.7 m; ?WL: >3 m; WT: 150 kg | Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP) | [Anon.] (1999a); Brunetti et al. (2002) | Brunetti et al. (1999:16) | Taken by the vessel Rikuzen of the Pesantar SA fishing company in 105 m long drag net. Collected by scientific observer. Frozen onboard with arms reconstructed after being crushed by weight of fish catch. Landed in Ushuaia on 18 March 1999 and thawed on 22 March for sample collection. Examined by Silvana Pineda and others from Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP), who travelled especially from Mar del Plata. |
| 405 | 16 February 1999 | Kerguelen waters in southern Polar Frontal Zone (48°11′S 71°15′E﻿ / ﻿48.183°S 71.250°E﻿ / -48.183; 71.250﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 550–870 m depth {SIO} | Found in stomach contents of sleeper shark (Somniosus sp.) | Architeuthis dux | Lower and upper beak | Entire | | LRL: 16.33 mm; ML: 152 cm [estimate] | | Cherel (2003:1296); Cherel & Duhamel (2004:25) | Rincon (2004) | Mantle length estimated using allometric equation from Roeleveld (2000). |
| 406 | 9 March 1999 | off New Zealand (48°50.2′S 167°12.3′E﻿ / ﻿48.8367°S 167.2050°E﻿ / -48.8367; 167.2050﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 407 (📷) | 15 March 1999 | off New Zealand (48º36.1–54.2'S 166º15.2–24.4'E) at 798 m depth {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis | Entire; tentacles intact | Entire | | EL: 27 ft (8.2 m) | Mote Aquarium, Mote Marine Laboratory | O'Shea (2007); [Mote] (2015); Ginsberg (2018) | Gorn & Marcil (2003); [Anon.] (2007b) | On public display. Nicknamed "Molly the Mollusk". Transferred to Mote Marine Laboratory in 1999 and exhibited at Mote Aquarium since 2001. Spent two years as part of travelling exhibit "Sea Monsters" before returning to Mote in September 2015; displayed at "Exploration Gallery" (formerly "Shark Attack Theater"). Featured in 2003 episode of documentary series Mystery Hunters. |
| 408 | 16 March 1999 | off New Zealand (48º49.55'S 166º53'–167º16'E) {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 409 | 5 April 1999 | Goulding Cay, Northeast Providence Channel, Bahamas (25°01′38.7″N 77°34′27.3″W﻿ / ﻿25.027417°N 77.574250°W﻿ / 25.027417; -77.574250﻿ (Giant squid specimen); given as "25°1'387"N 77°34'273"W") {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis sp.; Architeuthis dux | Entire, "whole specimen"; distal half of tentacles missing | Entire, in two pieces | Male (mature) | EL: 11 ft (3.4 m) [missing tentacle ends] | RSMAS; "Ex UMML 31.3125" [specimen No. 16 of Roper et al. (2015)] | [Anon.] (1999b:1); Roper et al. (2015:80) | | Found over bottom depth of 2300 m. |
| 410 | 14 May 1999 | off New Zealand (43°28.35′S 174°14′E﻿ / ﻿43.47250°S 174.233°E﻿ / -43.47250; 174.233﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 515 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 411 | 3 June 1999 | 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Fowey Rocks Light, Florida, United States (Straits of Florida) (25°35′N 80°07′W﻿ / ﻿25.583°N 80.117°W﻿ / 25.583; -80.117﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NWA} | Found floating at surface, dead | Architeuthis sp.; Architeuthis dux | Entire in "fresh" condition but heavily mutilated; missing distal third of mantle (incl. fins), tentacles, and ends of all arms but arm I(R) | Entire | | ML: 700 mm; ML: 1000 mm [intact estimate]; WT: ~20 kg [intact estimate]; Roper et al. (2015:80) give unspecified measurement (total length of remains?) of "110 cm 3.6 ft" | RSMAS catalog no. UMML 31.312b / 31.3126 [specimen No. 17 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Seibel et al. (2000:286); Roper et al. (2015:80) | | Collected by charter-boat Top Dog (Capt. Phil Slaga and Mate Bo Spieler). Found over bottom depth of >300 m. Taken to the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, where kept on ice or in refrigerated cold room for approximately three days prior to dissection. Wet weight estimated using mass–length relationship of O'Dor (1988) for ommastrephid squids. Mantle tissue used in study of enzymatic activity by Seibel et al. (2000), providing first estimates of giant squid metabolism and locomotory ability. |
| 412 | 14 June 1999 | off west coast of Tasmania, Australia, at 500–700 m depth {SWP} | Caught by trawler fishing for blue grenadier | Architeuthis sp. | Entire? | Entire; later discarded | Male | WT: 190 kg | TMAG catalog no. E23413 | Deagle et al. (2005:417); Deagle (2006:27); [TMAG] (2007:18) | | Specimen was kept frozen in storage until dissection in September 2002. Gut contents underwent genetic screening for prey. |
| 413 | 1 July 1999 | off west coast of Tasmania, Australia {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire? | Discarded | | WT: 245 kg | TMAG catalog no. E23414 | [TMAG] (2007:19) | | Head and limbs separated from mantle. |
| 414 | 13 July 1999 | off New Zealand (41°03.1′S 170°42.4′E﻿ / ﻿41.0517°S 170.7067°E﻿ / -41.0517; 170.7067﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 530 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 415 | 15 July 1999 | off New Zealand (42°33′S 170°31′E﻿ / ﻿42.550°S 170.517°E﻿ / -42.550; 170.517﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 460 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 416 | 17 July 1999 | off New Zealand (42°31.32′S 170°21.09′E﻿ / ﻿42.52200°S 170.35150°E﻿ / -42.52200; 170.35150﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 535 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | Temperature (BT) recorded as 11.5 °C. |
| 417 | 21 July 1999 | off New Zealand (42°27.32′S 170°28.10′E﻿ / ﻿42.45533°S 170.46833°E﻿ / -42.45533; 170.46833﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 442 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 418 | 5 August 1999 | off New Zealand (41°56′S 170°26′E﻿ / ﻿41.933°S 170.433°E﻿ / -41.933; 170.433﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 500 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 419 | 29 August 1999 | nearly 175 miles (282 km) off Santa Catarina, Brazil (28°05′S 45°35′W﻿ / ﻿28.083°S 45.583°W﻿ / -28.083; -45.583﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) over 2,400 m deep waters {SWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis | Entire; arm pairs I, II, III half-missing, arm pair IV complete, tentacles missing, reproductive system virtually missing | Entire | Female (mature) | ML: 1160 mm; WT: 50 kg; WL: 2480 mm; MW: 460 mm; HL: 270 mm; HW: 360 mm; FL: 460 mm; FW: 380 mm; FuL: 450 mm [ventral]; FuCL: 125 mm; FuCW: 61 mm; AL(I): 520/510 mm; AL(II): 620/560 mm; AL(III): 750/550 mm; AL(IV): 960/800 mm; ASD: 18 mm [maximum]; GiL: 280 mm; LRL: 15 mm; URL: 20 mm; ED: ~2.0 mm; other measurements | Museu Nacional-RJ (MNRJ 10761) | Martins & Perez (2009, figs. 1–14) | | Spotted by crew of Brazilian long-liner Macedo V. Spermatophores embedded in left ventral arm, around 60 cm from mouth. Small number of eggs present (~2.0 mm wide). Authors found "a few peculiarities [...] [i]n the shape of the fins, head and the cross-section and length of ventral arms". |
| 420 | 1 November 1999 | off Maria Island, Tasmania, Australia {SWP} | By trawl | Architeuthis sp. | Entire? | Discarded | Female | WT: 255 kg | TMAG catalog no. E23415 | [TMAG] (2007:19) | | Female with spermatophores. Wrapped in orange fishing line on retrieval. Eye lens and "back" separated from specimen. |
| 421 | November 1999 | Carrandi, Asturias, Spain {NEA} | By trawl | Architeuthis dux | | | | WT: 107 kg [dead] | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Collected by the trawler Minchos VI. |
| 422 | 23 November 1999 | Bloody Bay Wall, Cayman Islands (Caribbean Sea) (19°44′N 79°48′W﻿ / ﻿19.733°N 79.800°W﻿ / 19.733; -79.800﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {NWA} | Not stated | Architeuthis dux | Not stated | | | None given | [specimen No. 18 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Roper et al. (2015:81) | | |
| 423 (📷) | 9 December 1999 | approximately 34 miles (55 km) from Gijón, off coast of Asturias, Spain (43°52.54′N 05°18.74′W﻿ / ﻿43.87567°N 5.31233°W﻿ / 43.87567; -5.31233﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 270–550 or 300–600 m depth {NEA} | By trawl; caught alive | Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | Entire; missing tentacles and arms I, II, III; arm IV(R) not intact | Entire | Female (immature) | ML: 1800 mm; MW: 560 mm; WT: 148 kg; moreVML: 1650 mm; MT: 30 mm; HW: 415 mm; AL(IV): 2160/178 mm (second not intact); LRL: 20.5 mm; URL: 21.0 mm; GL: 1670 mm; GW: 200 mm; FL: 690 mm; FW: 515 mm; EyD: 130 mm [estimate]; FuL: 260 mm; FuCL: 175 mm; FuCW: 41 mm; GiL: 500 mm; NGL: 340 mm | CEPESMA | González et al. (2002); Guerra et al. (2004:2, 4); Guerra et al. (2006:9, 258, fig. 1) | Sitges (2003) | First record of living specimen collected in Spanish Atlantic waters. Caught by Spanish pair trawlers Minchos V and Minchos VI based in Cillero, Lugo, while targeting blue whiting. moreAuctioned off in Avilés fish market and acquired by Jiménez Fishmongers (Pescaderias Jiménez) of Avilés and later CEPESMA president Luis Laria, who froze it immediately after measurements were taken. Defrosted, dissected and reconstructed in courtyard of Padre Galo public school (Colegio Público Padre Galo), Luarca, on 25 January 2000, surrounded by school students, onlookers, and journalists. Placed in transparent glass case and fixed for 48 hours in 4% formalin; later preserved in 70% alcohol. |
| 424 | Unknown (between 1954 and 2000) | off New Zealand (42°35.41′S 170°15.03′E﻿ / ﻿42.59017°S 170.25050°E﻿ / -42.59017; 170.25050﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 400 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | Date not recorded. |
| 425 | Unknown (between 1954 and 2000) | off New Zealand (42°31.9′S 170°16.6′E﻿ / ﻿42.5317°S 170.2767°E﻿ / -42.5317; 170.2767﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | MFish SOP Trip 1247/7. |
| 426 | Unknown (reported 2000) | North Atlantic (otherwise "no data") {NEA/NWA} | | Architeuthis | | | Female (maturing) | ML: 1180 mm; TL: 4395/4320 mm; CL: 785/680 mm; CSC: 260/243; TSC: 286/272; LRL: 15.7 mm; URL: 14.9 mm; additional beak measurements, indices, and counts | VSM [specimen NA-22 of Roeleveld (2000) and Roeleveld (2002)] | Roeleveld (2000:185); Roeleveld (2002:727) | | Beak morphometrics studied by Roeleveld (2000). Tentacle morphology examined by Roeleveld (2002). |
| 427 (📷) | 12 January 2000 (reported) | off Ogasawara Islands, Japan {NWP} | Caught and observed | Architeuthis sp. | Multiple specimens | Not stated | | None given | | [Anon.] (2000a, fig.) | Widder (2021:258) | Caught as bycatch of Thysanoteuthis fishery. Part of body collected by Ogasawara Fisheries Center research vessel Koyo. Further specimens recorded off Chichijima by Sunheng Maru (entire specimen with tentacles) and Chihiro Maru. Also observed being preyed upon by sperm whales during whale watching. Severed tentacles "snagged on baited lures" reported by longline fishermen. Such reports motivated choice of Ogasawara Islands as location for 2004 expedition that produced first photographs of live giant squid in natural habitat (#492). |
| 428 | 25 January 2000 | off New Zealand (43°48.47′S 174°47.46′E﻿ / ﻿43.80783°S 174.79100°E﻿ / -43.80783; 174.79100﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 476 m depth {SWP} | | Architeuthis | | | | | | O'Shea (2007) | | |
| 429 (📷) | 27 January 2000 | off New Zealand (44°21.19'S 175°05'–174°34'E) at 615 m depth {SWP} | "Hauled up" by fishermen | Architeuthis sanctipauli | Entire | Entire | | EL: 6.5 m ["lost 2.5 metres (seven feet) of its length through drying out"]; WT: 80 kg [after preservation] | MNHN | [Anon.] (2008a); [Anon.] (2008b); [MNHN] (N.d.); [Anon.] (2019a); [Anon.] (2019b) | O'Shea (2007) | On public display. Nicknamed "Wheke" after a sea monster of Māori mythology. Donated by NIWA of New Zealand to the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris. Became the first giant squid specimen to be plastinated; consolidated using structures inserted into tentacles, arms and funnel; 300 suckers reconstituted, original beak replaced, glass eyes inserted, and coloured to approximate natural appearance. Since 2008 on display on ground floor of the Gallery of Evolution (grande galerie de l'Évolution), MNHN. Restored in March 2019 by head MNHN taxidermist Christophe Gottini and assistant Vincent Cuisset over period of at least 30 hours ahead of exhibition "Ocean, an unusual dive", held from 3 April 2019 to 5 January 2020; old paint replaced. Specimen had originally been exposed to dust while still sticky, altering its appearance significantly. |
| 430 | 22 March 2000 | Kerguelen waters in southern Polar Frontal Zone (47°10′S 69°23′E﻿ / ﻿47.167°S 69.383°E﻿ / -47.167; 69.383﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 490–620 m depth {SIO} | Found in stomach contents of sleeper shark (Somniosus sp.) | Architeuthis dux | Lower and upper beak | | | LRL: 11.78 mm; ML: 60 cm [estimate] | | Cherel (2003:1296); Cherel & Duhamel (2004:25) | Rincon (2004) | Mantle length estimated using allometric equation from Roeleveld (2000). |
| 431 | 2 April 2000 | Asturias, Spain {NEA} | Found in stomach contents of shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) | Architeuthis | Tentacle | | | TL: 2 m | | Guerra et al. (2006:258) | | Caught by Spanish vessel Teresa José from Luarca. |
| 432 | 24 April 2000 | Kerguelen waters in southern Polar Frontal Zone (48°26′S 70°58′E﻿ / ﻿48.433°S 70.967°E﻿ / -48.433; 70.967﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 680–755 m depth {SIO} | Found in stomach contents of sleeper shark (Somniosus sp.) | Architeuthis dux | Lower beak only | | | LRL: 11.33 mm; ML: 54 cm [estimate] | | Cherel (2003:1296); Cherel & Duhamel (2004:25) | Rincon (2004) | Mantle length estimated using allometric equation from Roeleveld (2000). |
| 433 | 10 May 2000 | Kerguelen waters in southern Polar Frontal Zone (47°25′S 69°14′E﻿ / ﻿47.417°S 69.233°E﻿ / -47.417; 69.233﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) at 420 m depth {SIO} | Found in stomach contents of sleeper shark (Somniosus sp.) | Architeuthis dux | Lower and upper beak; broken | | | | | Cherel (2003:1296); Cherel & Duhamel (2004:25) | Rincon (2004) | |
| 434 | 24 June 2000 | off Recherche Bay, Tasmania, Australia {SWP} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis sp. | Entire? | None; not collected | | | | [TMAG] (2007:19) | | Found by marine police. |
| (📷) | 2000 | off Dana Point, California, United States {NEP} | Found | Architeuthis japonica? | "floating remnants"; at least part of arm crown including one tentacle | Not stated | | ?TL: 20 ft (6.1 m) | | Thomas (2006, fig.) | | Speculated to have been attacked by "large shark" or sperm whale. |
| 435 | 9 August 2000 | off New Zealand; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 436 | 28 September 2000 | south of Wellington, North Island; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 437 (📷) | 20 October 2000 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States (Straits of Florida) (26°10′N 80°00′W﻿ / ﻿26.167°N 80.000°W﻿ / 26.167; -80.000﻿ (Giant squid specimen); given as "26°10'N 80°W") {NWA} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis dux | Entire, "completely intact body"; tentacles and arm tips missing | Various parts, including mantle, gladius, and pieces of head (beak and radula) | Male (mature) | ML: 3.4 ft (1.0 m); WL: 14 ft (4.3 m) [estimate]; "actual length": 7.5 ft (2.3 m) | NMNH catalog no. USNM 1111097 and field number MML 8041.00 (parts including mantle, gladius, beak, and radula) [specimen No. 19 of Roper et al. (2015)] | Roper et al. (2015:81); [NMNH] (N.d.) | | Found over bottom depth of c. 2000 m. Collected by G. Varley; identified by Clyde Roper. Sample used as part of mitogenomic study of Winkelmann et al. (2013). Parts preserved in isopropyl alcohol, in dry state, and as slide. |
| 438 | 15 December 2000 | in the vicinity of Amsterdam Island (37°50′S 77°33′E﻿ / ﻿37.833°S 77.550°E﻿ / -37.833; 77.550﻿ (Giant squid specimen)) {SIO} | Found floating at surface | Architeuthis dux | "large mantle"; head and gladius missing | Two funnel locking cartilages and one nuchal cartilage | | Funnel locking cartilages: 146/148 mm; Nuchal cartilage: "large" | | Cherel (2003:1295) | | Collected by French trawler Austral. Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross (Diomedea chlororhynchos) observed feeding on corpse. Fishermen reported two other specimens of large squid observed in previous weeks. |
| 439 | Unknown | east of Palmerston North, North Island; see map {SWP} | Unspecified record | Architeuthis sp. | Larva(e) | | | Larva(e) | | O'Shea (N.d.) | | |
| 440 (📷) | Unknown (reported 2001 or slightly earlier) | Hawaii {NEP} | Found floating at surface after having "had a tangle with a shark" | Architeuthis | Entire, bearing bite marks | Not specified | | WT: 175 lb (79 kg) [estimate] | | [Anon.] (c. 2001); O'Shea (2005) | | Found by crew of the Illusions charter boat "while filming a TV show with Capt. Norm Issacs for ESPN". Photographed reconstructed on jetty, with head, limbs and anterior portion of mantle shown ventrally, but (detached) finned posterior end of mantle arranged dorsally. |

## Specimen images

The following images relate to 20th century giant squid specimens and sightings. The number below each image corresponds to that given in the List of giant squid table and is linked to the relevant record therein. The date on which the specimen was first documented is also given (the little-endian day/month/year date format is used throughout).
* #72 (?/?/1902) Giant squid carcass found floating at the surface north of the Faroe Islands in 1902 (Murray & Hjort, 1912:651, fig. 484). It is shown here on the deck of the Michael Sars.
* #73 (15/8/1903) Sperm whale in whose jaws a giant squid tentacle fragment was found (Murray & Hjort, 1912:652, fig. 485). The "long stripes" visible on the head consisted of putative giant squid sucker scars around an inch (2.5 cm) across.
* #73 (15/8/1903) A portion of skin from the same sperm whale, bearing putative giant squid sucker scars (Murray & Hjort, 1912:653, fig. 486). In this widely reproduced image the scars measure around 27 mm (1.1 in) across.
* #81 (?/2/1912) Giant squid found in shallow water in Veiholmen, Smøla, Norway, in February 1912 (Brinkmann, 1916:181, fig. 3)
* #85 (22/11/1915) Specimen found washed ashore north of Bergen, Norway, on 22 November 1915 (Brinkmann, 1916:177, fig. 1)
* #89 (10/1/1918) Ventral view and details of the mature male giant squid obtained by Madoka Sasaki from a Tokyo fish market on 10 January 1918. Also shown are gladii (internal shell remnants) of two other squid species: Onychoteuthis banksii (fig. 12) and Onykia loennbergii (fig. 13).
* British newspaper article from 1918, speculating about possible encounters between giant squid and German U-boats. Reference is made to "fragments of squid" in such condition that the animals must have "been in battle with some adversary more powerful than any sea creature".
* ?#94 (?/?/1922) Giant squid found washed ashore at Keiss, Caithness, Scotland, per The Wick Society (see also wider view). According to Bright (1989:64–65), who does not specify a date, this specimen "came ashore on the Scottish west coast" (emphasis added). Heuvelmans (2003:fig. 113), who likewise provides no date, gives the locality as "the east coast of Scotland".
* ?#94 (?/?/1922) Another view of the Keiss specimen (see alternate take)
* #101 (4/3/1928) Specimen found washed ashore in Ranheim, Norway, measuring around 7.9 m in total length
* #106 (1930–1933) Arne Grønningsæter's sketch of his supposed encounter with a giant squid in the open ocean between Hawaii and Samoa in 1930–1933 (Grønningsæter, 1946:380, fig. 1). The animal was observed swimming at 20–25 kn (37–46 km/h) alongside a 15,000-ton freighter before turning towards the ship, colliding with the hull, skidding along it, and being ground to pieces by the propeller.
* #107 (14/1/1933) Hand-coloured black-and-white photograph of the giant squid found washed ashore on Scarborough's south beach, England, on 14 January 1933, from a magic lantern slide (c. 1930s) as featured in Robin Lidster's Scarborough From Old Photographs
* #107 (14/1/1933) Further photographs showing a crowd gathering around the beached carcass (see also wider views of left frame and right frame)
* #107 (14/1/1933) Locals standing beside the Scarborough giant squid (Clarke, 1933:157, fig.; see also hand-coloured magic lantern slide of same)
* #107 (14/1/1933) Photograph taken by William James Clarke, after whom the specimen was described as Architeuthis clarkei, from a plate hand coloured by him (see also wider view from magic lantern slide of same)
* #107 (14/1/1933) The same specimen on display at Scarborough fish market
* #107 (14/1/1933) The specimen was featured on the cover of The Illustrated London News on 21 January 1933, a week after its discovery
* #107 (14/1/1933) Ventral (left) and dorsal views of the specimen after it had been transferred to the Natural History Museum in London, from the type description of Robson (1933). Robson wrote that "the exaggerated narrowness of the head is due to the sagging of the sides of the mantle".
* #107 (14/1/1933) Radular teeth of the Scarborough giant squid (Robson, 1933:683, text-fig. 1; see also lateral tooth)
* #107 (14/1/1933) Horny ring of tenth sucker of arm III (Robson, 1933:684, text-fig. 3; see also first sucker of same)
* #107 (14/1/1933) Lower beak of the Scarborough specimen; the upper beak was not well preserved (Robson, 1933:687, text-fig. 6)
* #107 (14/1/1933) Funnel–mantle locking apparatus of the giant squid (right), which Robson (1933:696) considered "remarkably feeble and ill-developed or degenerate" as compared to the "very efficient" apparatus of Sthenoteuthis (left) (Robson, 1933:688, text-fig. 7)
* #108 (2/6/1933) Beak of a large squid tentatively identified as "Architeuthis sp." and said to have originated from Lairg, Scotland, preserved at London's Natural History Museum, where it was accessioned on 2 June 1933 (see also other side)
* #109 (?/12/1933) Giant squid found near Dildo, Newfoundland, in December 1933, stretched out on a tarpaulin. Photograph by E. Maunder, taken when the squid was landed at St. John's (Frost, 1934:114 & pl. 1).
* #109 (?/12/1933) Photograph by A. Proctor of the Dildo specimen in lateral view, the detached head and caudal ("tail") section placed in approximately natural positions (Frost, 1934:114 & pl. 1).
* #109 (?/12/1933) Oral view of the Dildo giant squid
* #109 (?/12/1933) Tentacular club (fig. 1) and basal portion of the arm (fig. 2) of the Dildo specimen, from Frost (1934:114 & pl. 2)
* #109 (?/12/1933) Dissected mantle showing internal organs (Frost, 1934:114 & pl. 3; see also labelled diagram of same and caudal fin)
* #109 (?/12/1933) Various suckers from the tentacular club and arms of the Dildo specimen (Frost, 1934:108, fig. 2)
* #109 (?/12/1933) Details of the radular teeth (Frost, 1934:109, fig. 3; see also teeth of the membrane lining the palate)
* #110 (26/6/1935) Semi-schematic illustration of the giant squid taken by trawl in the Bay of Biscay on 26 June 1935, from Cadenat (1936:278, fig. 1)
* #110 (26/6/1935) The beak and surrounding musculature of the Bay of Biscay giant squid (Cadenat, 1936:281, fig. 2)
* #110 (26/6/1935) Details of the radular teeth of the same specimen (Cadenat, 1936:282, fig. 3)
* #111 (12/11/1935) Joe Ezekiel of Harbour Main, Newfoundland, with the giant squid he found off Holyrood on 12 November 1935 (see wider view)
* #111 (12/11/1935) Another view of the Holyrood specimen, which was destroyed in a fire shortly after its capture
* #111 (12/11/1935) The Holyrood specimen spread out on wooden planks, its arms held aloft by Joe Ezekiel and other locals
* #111 (12/11/1935) Mantle and occipital region of Holyrood specimen, from Frost (1936:90, fig. 1) (see also funnel–mantle locking apparatus, digestive system and liver, and terminal portion of rectum)
* #111 (12/11/1935) Suckers of arms II and IV (Frost, 1936:92, fig. 3)
* #111 (12/11/1935) Upper and lower beaks (Frost, 1936:93, fig. 6; see also radular teeth)
* #111 (12/11/1935) Gladius (internal shell remnant), with more flexible area indicated (Frost, 1936:94, fig. 10)
* #113 (?/10/1938) Beak of the giant squid found washed ashore near Ravenscar, England, in October 1938 (Clarke, 1939:136, fig.). The only part of the animal that was saved, it was secured by William James Clarke and forwarded by him to London's Natural History Museum.
* #119 (11/9/1946) Giant squid that washed ashore in Romsdalsfjord, Romsdal, Norway, on 11 September 1946. It measured 9.35 m (30.7 ft) in total length and was described as being quite fresh and well-preserved.
* #121 (?/9/1948) Giant squid that washed ashore in Wingan Inlet, Victoria, Australia, in September 1948 (Allan, 1948:306, fig.)
* #121 (?/9/1948) The same specimen with its mantle cut open, showing the central gladius (internal shell remnant) (Allan, 1948:307, fig.)
* #124 (30/11/1949) The specimen that was found stranded alive at the Bay of Nigg, Aberdeen, Scotland, on 30 November 1949, being examined at the Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen shortly after its discovery.
* #124 (30/11/1949) Another view of the same specimen; both this and the previous photograph were originally published in the Aberdeen Bon-Accord and Northern Pictorial and later reproduced in Rae (1950)
* #131 (?/?/1954) Semi-schematic illustration of the mature male giant squid found floating at the surface off the Mississippi Delta in 1954, from Gilbert L. Voss's comprehensive review of the cephalopods of the Gulf of Mexico (Voss, 1956:137, fig. 10)
* #136 (2/10/1954) Giant squid measuring 9.24 m in total length that washed ashore at Ranheim in Trondheimsfjord, Norway, on 2 October 1954 (Clarke, 1966:103, fig. 4). There exists an alternate take of this much-reproduced composition.
* #136 (2/10/1954) The specimen was featured on the cover of the December 1954 issue of the Norwegian Zoological Society's quarterly journal, Fauna: Norsk Zoologisk Forenings Tidsskrift
* ?#144 (?/?/1958) Giant squid reportedly measuring around 47 ft (14 m) in total length, taken by the vessel Silver Bay off Florida, from a double-page spread in Rathjen (1973:24–25, fig. 7)
* #149 (18/2/1961) and #164 (17/12/1963) The first early juvenile giant squid specimens ever recorded, both taken from lancetfish stomachs: the left from the northeast Atlantic (57 mm ML; #149) and the right from the southeast Pacific (45 mm ML; #164); details of their tentacular clubs and the gladius of the Atlantic specimen are also shown (Roper & Young, 1972:208, fig. 1)
* #149 (18/2/1961) and #164 (17/12/1963) Dorsal view of the fins of the same two juvenile giant squid specimens (Roper & Young, 1972:213, fig. 5)
* #149 (18/2/1961) Semi-diagrammatic oral view of the left tentacular club of the Atlantic juvenile with some suckers removed to show underlying details (Roper & Young, 1972:211, fig. 3)
* #149 (18/2/1961) Lateral detail of arm III of the Atlantic juvenile (Roper & Young, 1972:210, fig. 2)
* #149 (18/2/1961) Lower (left) and upper beaks of the Atlantic juvenile (Roper & Young, 1972:212, fig. 4)
* (?/?/1962) Partially digested head of a giant squid recovered from a sperm whale stomach in Durban, South Africa, in 1962; identified by Malcolm Clarke (see label). On display at the London Natural History Museum's Darwin Centre.
* #169 (23/10/1964) Frederick Aldrich with the giant squid found floating at the surface off Conche, White Bay, Newfoundland, in October 1964 (Aldrich & Brown, 1967:4, fig.)
* #169 (23/10/1964) Beak of the White Bay giant squid (Aldrich & Brown, 1967:7, fig.)
* #169 (23/10/1964) Tentacular suckers of the White Bay giant squid (Aldrich & Brown, 1967:7, fig.)
* #172 (25?/3/1965) Near-complete specimen collected from Skagen, Denmark, on 23 or 25 March 1965. Shown as it appeared in 2021, preserved at the Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.
* #178 (9/11/1966) Giant squid specimen from Sweet Bay, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland, November 1966 (Aldrich & Brown, 1967:8, fig.)
* Specimen from Newfoundland acquired by Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History in 1979 from the Memorial University of Newfoundland (YPM IZ 017964). Measurements taken from this specimen were used in the preparation of the life-sized giant squid model that currently hangs above the main entrance of the Peabody museum.
* #240 (?/2/1980) Michael J. Sweeney (left) and Clyde F. E. Roper (center) with the giant squid that washed ashore on Plum Island, Massachusetts, in early February 1980, as it was being prepared for display at the National Museum of Natural History in 1983.
* #240 (?/2/1980) The Plum Island specimen as it appeared when exhibited at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
* #240 (?/2/1980) Since 2009, the Plum Island specimen has been on loan to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, where it is on display in the Cold Water Quest Gallery
* #254 (10/11/1981) Giant squid during dissection at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. This specimen was recovered in Bonavista North, Newfoundland.
* #260 (?/9/1982) Giant squid at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, the Netherlands
* #323 (16/4/1988) Giant squid found stranded in shallow water on the Uradome coast of Tottori Prefecture, Japan, on 16 April 1988. The oldest publicly exhibited Architeuthis specimen in Japan, it is on display at Tottori Prefectural Museum preserved in formalin.
* #323 (16/4/1988) Oral view of the 1988 specimen exhibited at Tottori Prefectural Museum (see also ventral view showing sewn-up mantle, and closeups of mantle, limbs, and medial suckers of tentacular club)
* #323 (16/4/1988) Separately preserved mouthparts of the 1988 specimen (not on public display)
* #341 (16/7/1992) Tentacles of the giant squid found washed ashore near Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania, on 16 July 1992, now held in the collections of Museums Victoria
* #341 (16/7/1992) Closeup of the tentacular suckers of the same specimen
* #345 (?/3/1994) Giant squid model on display at Museo de la Naturaleza y Arqueología in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, based on a specimen found floating at the surface off Los Cristianos, Tenerife, in March 1994 (see also view from other side)
* #349 (?/8/1994) Specimen exhibited at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan, measuring 6.37 m in total length including its intact tentacles
* #379 (24/12/1996) Specimen on display at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, Japan, with a Japanese flying squid (Todarodes pacificus; top-centre) for size comparison (see also alternate view)
* #381 (16/7/1997) Specimen from the North Sea on display at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm
* #383 (16/11/1997) First known specimen from the Mediterranean Sea, on display at the Museo Alborania in Málaga, Spain. Preserved in formaldehyde, it is an immature female with a mantle length of around 1.25 m.
* #383 (16/11/1997) An overview of the entire giant squid exhibit at Museo Alborania, as it appeared in 2016 (see also closeups of head and arms)
* (?/?/1999) Giant squid caught in early 1999 and dissected on 20–21 February of that year at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand, during "In Search of Giant Squid", the third and last of the Smithsonian-backed giant squid expeditions
* (?/?/1999) Teuthologist Clyde Roper lying alongside the large specimen of almost 2 m (6.6 ft) mantle length
* (?/?/1999) A dozen people attempting to move the carcass, which weighed in excess of 200 kg (440 lb)
* (?/?/1999) A view into the specimen's mantle cavity. The paired, grey ctenidia (gills) are clearly visible.
* (?/?/1999) Clyde Roper with one of the giant squid's enormous eyes
* (?/?/1999) Roper holding the giant squid's stomach
* (?/?/1999) The two-part beak following extraction from the surrounding musculature
* (?/?/1999) Roper and Steve O'Shea positioning the specimen in a stainless steel tank filled with 10% formalin solution
* A small (1 m ML; 30 kg) but fully mature male being examined by Steve O'Shea on 28 February 1999, during the "In Search of Giant Squid" expedition
* #407 (15/3/1999) Giant squid nicknamed "Molly the Mollusk", preserved in a tank at Mote Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida
* #429 (27/1/2000) The world's first plastinated giant squid, nicknamed "Wheke", displayed at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris, November 2009
* #429 (27/1/2000) Oral view of the same specimen as it originally appeared, showing the brachial crown and beak, August 2008
* #429 (27/1/2000) "Wheke" following its restoration in March 2019, which included a new paint application (see also alternate view, closeup, and other side)
* #429 (27/1/2000) Oral view of "Wheke" in February 2023, following its restoration
* #437 (20/10/2000) Lower beak of the giant squid found floating at the surface off Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 20 October 2000
* #437 (20/10/2000) Upper beak of the same specimen
* Specimen identified as Architeuthis sanctipauli exhibited on the first floor of the Global Environment Hall at the National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung, Taiwan. Measuring 8.84 m in total length and weighing 240 kg, it was captured in New Zealand waters and gifted by NIWA. It is said to be the world's largest specimen exhibited in a vertical position; the whole display including base, acrylic tank and formalin preservative weighs around 4 tonnes.
* Preserved giant squid eye; together with that of the colossal squid it is the largest of any living animal
* Giant squid beak with associated buccal musculature
* A "giant squid" beak recovered from a sperm whale stomach in Durban, part of the Discovery Collections displayed during the "Monsters of the Deep" exhibition (July 2020 – January 2023) at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth (see also label and wider exhibition)