Rare Colossal Squid Could Be World's Biggest

A colossal squid that could weigh a half-ton may prove to be the biggest specimen ever landed.

The squid, which weighs an estimated 990 pounds and is about 39 feet long, took two hours to land in Antarctic waters, New Zealand Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said.

The fishermen were catching Patagonian toothfish, sold under the name Chilean sea bass, south of New Zealand "and the squid was eating a hooked toothfish when it was hauled from the deep," Anderton said.

The fishing crew and a fisheries official on board their ship estimated the length and weight of the squid: Detailed, official measurements have not been made.