Spectacular Squid Found Off Little Cayman; 'The Best Preserved Specimen To Date'

From an article distributed by the Underwater Times news service:

George Town, Cayman Islands (May 21, 2008 15:40 EST) A rare squid found floating on the surface of the ocean about 5 miles south of Little Cayman this weekend has been positively identifed as Asperoteuthis.

Local fisherman Derren Burlington, who was taking part in the Brac Jackpot Fishing Tournament, discovered the 24lbs 4oz creature, which is over 7 feet (2.5m) long, on Saturday 18 May at around 9:00 am, and transported it to the Little Cayman Research Centre operated by the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI).

Dr. Clyde Roper, Emeritus Zoologist at the Smithsonian Institution, has confirmed that it is only the fourth specimen known in the entire Atlantic Ocean. He said all other specimens known of this species – a dozen or so – have been found in the Indo-Pacific waters.

"This does not mean that we are suddenly being inundated by an Indo-Pacific species. It merely emphasizes something perhaps more interesting – it shows how little we know about the oceans that surround and sustain us, especially about the deep sea and its magnificent, though strange, inhabitants," said Dr. Roper.