What other names are the Colossal Squid sometimes referred to as?
The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) and giant squids (Architeuthisare sp.) are the world’s largest invertebrates. Their tentacles are particularly formidable, having powerful suckers and deadly teeth at the ends of the tentacles. The teeth of the giant squid are small, “bottle-cap” shaped circular saws, while the tentacles of the colossal squid wield two long rows of thick, sharp, finger-length screws of protruding bone. Squids are marine cephalopods (class Cephalopoda, phylum Mollusca) with ten arms and tentacles (at some point in life), secondary armature on their suckers, and lacking the internal shell specific to cuttlefish. This large, diverse group of invertebrates comprise the order Teuthida (sometimes listed as order or suborder Teuthoidea) or, in some classifications, the orders Oegopsida and Myopsida (listed as suborders of Teuthida in some taxonomies). Like all cephalopods, squids are characterized by bilateral symmetry, a prominent head, and a modification of th
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossal_Squid Colossal Squid The Colossal Squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, from Greek mesos (middle), nychus (claw), and teuthis (squid)), sometimes called the Antarctic or Giant Cranch Squid, is believed to be the largest squid species. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis. Though it is known from only a few specimens, current estimates put its maximum size at 12–14 metres (39–46 feet) long, based on analysis of smaller and immature specimens, making it the largest known invertebrate. . . . —— http://www.extremescience.com/giant-squid.htm The Colossal Squid Scientists have known about the existence of a species of squid that is reported to be significantly larger than the giant squid, but had not seen or collected a complete specimen of the Colossal squid, named Mesonychoteuthis hami
