Tag Archives: Colossal squid

Colossal squid on display gets check-up

14 February 2011 – 3.53pm

We can all do with a check-up every so often – just to ensure things are going ok and we’re not falling apart.

Today our team took the lid off the colossal squid tank and started to drain out the preservation fluid so we can give the colossal squid a check-up. We last had the lid off the tank in March 2009.

Preparing to lift the lid off the squid tank.

Preparing to lift the lid off the squid tank. Copyright Te Papa, 2011

 

The lid is lifted off the squid tank.

The lid is lifted off the squid tank. Copyright Te Papa, 2011

 

Don lifts the lid on the squid tank.

Don lifts the lid on the squid tank. Copyright Te Papa, 2011

This gives our conservator Robert Clendon, and exhibition team members Hutch and Don a chance to see how the squid specimen is doing, and find out what’s going on in the tank. They are bravely doing all of this in the gallery space – so visitors can watch and ask questions.

The preservation of the colossal squid (the heaviest, bulkiest squid in the world, remember)  is an experiment. There are no guarantees! No one has done this before, so Te Papa’s team are learning as they go.

The liquid chosen to preserve the squid in is a glycol-water mixture. The squid has been in this liquid for 2 years. During this time the fluid in the tank has discoloured and there’s been a build of detritus in the base of the tank – both of which interfere with getting a good view of the squid.

We’re not sure why this is happening and that’s why we need to take a closer look  and try to work out what is going on. The fluid in the tank will be changed and we’ll be cleaning out the tank.

It will take about 5 hours for the tank liquid to drain out. We can then start assessing the condition of the squid, which will take a few days. Robert will be  doing a visual assessment, comparing the specimen with existing photos. He will also test samples of the tank liquid for pH and for biological activity, such as the presence of bacteria or moulds. These results will tell us if the squid is deteriorating or not. 

Robert and Don examine the mantle of the colossal squid.

Robert and Don examine the mantle of the colossal squid. Copyright Te Papa, 2011

We do know that the squid specimen has contracted in size by about 5% after being in the preserving fluid. Robert is not sure why, but is confident that this is not because the squid is deteriorating – in fact the indications are that the specimen itself is in very good shape.

After the check-up is complete towards the end of this week we’ll be able to make informed decisions about the future of the colossal squid specimen. Once we know more about what’s been going on in the tank over the last 2 years, we can work out how long the squid can be kept on display and how often we need to change the tank liquid.  

All of which helps us keep this incredible colossal squid out there for you to see.

By pamelalovis | Posted in Colossal squid | Also tagged , , | Comments (15)

Colossal squid – happy birthday ‘two’ you

15 December 2010 – 3.42pm

It’s hard to believe but the colossal squid at Te Papa has turned “two”. Time flies when you’re having fun!

Today my squid, “Pamela”, is 730 days old – she is 2 years old. 

She now weighs an impressive 306 kilograms (about another 180 kilograms to go before she’s the same weight as the colossal squid on display).

She has travelled 6,570 kilometres in the Southern Ocean (Auckland to Invercargill and back, twice – I feel tired just thinking about it).

She’s looked for more suckers, survived encounters with Japanese whalers and, from the look of her, had a very good time on her adventures.

Pamela's squid, now 2 years old!

Pamela's squid, now 2 years old!

More than 210,000 squid frequent the Build a Squid database – and there’s room for plenty more.

So go and check on your squid, make another, or come in and wish Te Papa’s colossal squid a Happy 2nd Birthday.

By pamelalovis | Posted in Colossal squid | Also tagged , | Comments (2)

Colossal squid at Te Papa turns one year old

18 December 2009 – 3.08pm
Pamela's one year old squid

Pamela's one year old squid

Hey squid fans

Time flies when you’re having fun! The colossal squid at Te Papa has turned one year old.

Now’s a good time to check out the squid you made on Build a Squid. http://squid.tepapa.govt.nz/build-a-squid

See how old you’ve got, how much you weigh (eek) and what you’ve been getting up to.

My squid is 368 days old, has travelled over 3,000 kilometres and weighs 154 kilograms. At the moment my squid has just escaped another colossal squid.

If you’ve got visitors over Christmas who haven’t seen the squid, check it out online and get them into Te Papa to see it in all its squiddy glory.

http://squid.tepapa.govt.nz/

By pamelalovis | Posted in Colossal squid | Also tagged , | Comments (12)

Taking a fresh look

3 December 2009 – 5.14pm

Last week was one hectic “digital” week at Te Papa. We were involved in NDF, Culturemondo, a workshop with Seb Chan (Powerhouse Museum) and Nina Simon, and then a seminar with Nina on the marae, arranged by National Services Te Paerangi.

Seb Chan and Nina Simon pointing the way for Te Papa

Seb Chan ready to help with our web metrics. Copyright Te Papa

The week started with the National Digital Forum Conference – around 300 people from NZ museums, libraries and archives attended (the highest number yet) over 2 days for the annual get together. There were great presentations from the keynote speakers as well as lively forum discussions about sector issues – such as fair use, geodata, digital repatriation and digital preservation. Always a great networking and catch up time, NDF now has a ning, with 118 members to date. So join in the conversation and help keep it going through the year until the next NDF.

I met Daniel Incandela from the Indianapolis Museum of Art  at Museums and the Web 2009. So it was a pleasure to see him here in NZ, inspiring us about the IMA’s huge achievements in the digital arena – projects such as Art Babble. He reminded me of the importance of building relationships with colleagues and visitors, something we sometimes overlook.  A personal highlight was showing Daniel the colossal squid, in the flesh… 

Nina Simon did something never seen before at NDF – she got us up out of our seats, interacting vigorously… and hitting a very large gong. (I guess you had to be there). To end the conference on such a buzz was quite an achievement. It shows Nina’s incredible skills as a facilitator, and her talent for getting to the essence of things.

Post NDF, Seb Chan and Nina Simon lead a workshop with a group of Te Papa staff  to help us with our digital strategy. The intricacies of web data and working out what it all means is a skill we need to develop – what’s the point of doing digital stuff if you don’t know who is using it and how? Thank goodness for Google Analytics.

Nina took over for the afternoon. Her energy is infectious. She challenged us to think about engaging our audiences - how we engage with them (on the museum floor and online), the kinds of relationships we want to build with users, and what those interactions could be like.

My group ended up out of our seats (again) and onto the floor to take a fresh look at the pounamu mauri stone on the marae. It’s been handled, admired, and polished by visitors to Te Papa for more than 10 years now.  It’s a place people gather around and start talking with each other. It’s a popular spot for a photo and it’s a point in the museum visitors to Te Papa come back and visit, time after time. It’s certainly a place we could look at building on our relationships with our visitors and seeking more opportunities for participation.

Engaging over pounamu. Copyright Te Papa.

After that week my head is really full. But I feel inspired re things digital and I’m all set  for a fresh look at what we do at Te Papa.

A huge, warm thank you goes out to Seb Chan and Nina Simon for sharing their expertise with us.

By pamelalovis | Posted in Exhibitions | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Loch Ness Squid on Google Earth!

28 August 2009 – 4.32pm

The blog-o-sphere is reeling today with supposed sightings of the Loch Ness Monster on Google Earth! Check it out – we wonder whether perhaps Nessie and our Colossal squid are related?

Image of Google Earth care of Geekologie.com

Image of Google Earth care of Geekologie.com

Weird co-incidence number 2 is that during the squid defrost, some of the scientists nick-named our squid ‘Messie’ - after the scientific name Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni.

For those of you whose Latin pronunciation is not great, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni is pronouced something like ‘Mess-on-a-ca-tooth-this’.
Te Papa’s Colossal Squid website

By lucyhoffman | Posted in Colossal squid | Also tagged , , , | Comments (5)

A new giant squid specimen!

3 April 2009 – 8.56am

A three-metre giant squid specimen washed up on a beach on Wellington’s South Coast yesterday (2nd April).

In comparison with our colossal squid it’s a bit small, but because it’s small it’s interesting! Find out about the difference between Colossal and Giant squid.

The squid was found in shallow water by Alana Spragg and her daughter Bella who managed to drag it onto the beach. At just 3m long the squid is one of the smallest we’ve seen: this means that it is either a rarely seen male , or an even more rarely seen juvenile.

Collection manager of molluscs at Te Papa, Bruce Marshall noted that out of the last 50 giant squid we have received; only one has been a male.  The actual sex ratio is about 50:50, however,  as collectors favour the larger the largest specimens, which are invariably females. Juvenile giant squid are also rare in New Zealand waters – we don’t know where they go after they hatch and before they return to the breeding areas off the South Island.

Te papa's freezer - giant squid and other specimens awaiting processing.

Te papa's freezer - giant squid and other specimens awaiting processing.

The giant squid has been put in a freezer and will eventually be preserved for display. It is in fantastic condition – It looks like it has probably only been dead for a couple of hours. Its skin is perfect and the eyes, tentacles and beak all appear to be intact. The preservation process will start in about two months, because the preparation laboratory at Te Papa is being renovated.

The squid was reported in this morning’s newspaper:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/2311472/Giant-no-match-for-colossal-cousin

By chrispaulin | Posted in Colossal squid, Exhibitions | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

Squid – done and dusted!

20 March 2009 – 4.50pm
The new wheelchair ramp is completed and gives a great view for everyone into the squid tank.

The new wheelchair ramp is completed and gives a great view for everyone into the squid tank.

Breaking news from our squid fix-it team – the work is complete and we are on track to reopen the colossal squid exhibition to the public from tomorrow 21 March 2009.

Yesterday Robert Clendon our Conservator and Hutch Wilco, one of our exhibition preparators finished the last few tweaks to the squid itself. They  managed to draw the bulk of the squid’s body beneath the surface of the liquid in the tank, but this then caused the mantle to float up!

After much discussion the team decided to stitch through the tissues around the gladius and attach the mantle of the squid to the support raft underneath. By attaching weights to the support they managed to get the mantle under the liquid too.

Today the team have been putting the tank back together, which included slowly and carefully rebolting the lid onto the tank.

The glycol and water mixture used to fill the tank is still producing gas.  The team have refilled the tank just enough to fully cover the squid and make contact with the lid.  This has left an air gap at the sides of the tank which will reduce the risk of the tank pressurising and minimise the chance of a spill.  It will also reduce the chance of bubbles forming on the lid. Sometime over the next fortnight we will put in the last little bit of liquid.

Our hardworking squid fix-it team have also completed the new wheelchair ramp, installed the railing, and put new carpet down.

Smile - it's the end of a long week working on the squid.

Smile - it's the end of a long week working on the squid.

The gallery space is being tidied as we speak and we are on target for reopening tomorrow morning when you get to see the colossal squid again.  Enjoy!

By pamelalovis | Posted in Colossal squid | Also tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Squid goes postal! NZPost’s Squid Stamp and Coin

12 March 2009 – 4.57pm
Giants of New Zealand stamp series

Giants of New Zealand stamp series

Not content with getting an exhibition, the Colossal Squid now has her own stamp and coin! The dollar stamp and coin no less. Cool. Thanks NZ Post!

Giants of New Zealand coins

Giants of New Zealand coins

 

The other giants are the Giant Moa (extinct), Giant Eagle (extinct), Southern Right Whale, Giant Weta.

I’m going to chase down a curator tomorrow and find out a) what the scientific names of these creatures are and b) whether New Zealand has more Giant species than most places.

By lucyhoffman | Posted in Colossal squid, Exhibitions, Whales | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (6)

Good news from the squid inspection

11 March 2009 – 4.53pm

On Tuesday we started remedial work on the colossal squid and her tank. Things are going very well and to schedule.

Yesterday we put up the barriers around the tank and lifted up the huge lid, using a forklift. We then drained most of the liquid out of the tank. That’s not as simple a task as it sounds, but it all went smoothly.

When we first lifted the lid off the tank the team were relieved that there was no smell of sulphur, which would have been evidence of sulphides. The smell was “squiddy” (a smell some of us have grown to know and love), rather than “sulphury” and indicates that there hasn’t been any bacterial activity.

With the liquid out of the tank the team, including our conservator Robert Clendon, could get a good look at the squid specimen and start to check out what’s been going on in the tank.

Here you can see the squid specimen carefully covered up in a big sheet of thick plastic. As someone just said, it looks a bit like a rather horrible crime scene…. and the sight of those big pink tentacles and arms through the plastic is a little weird. 

The colossal squid covered in plastic in the tank.

The colossal squid covered in plastic in the tank.

We have taken samples from areas of concern on the squid itself and swab samples from the tank, which will go out for testing later today. The good thing is that most of what we were concerned about seems to be chemical in nature, not biological. This means the squid is not deteriorating -  very important if we want to keep the specimen on display and in good condition as part of Te Papa’s collections!

The seals on the tank have been inspected and the news is good here too. We  are now satisfied that the sealants are not degrading, are still in good condition and are just discolouring in the glycol.

At each end of the tank we have removed the display panels and ends. They are now being altered in the workshop so that we can use a double pump to circulate the liquid in the tank more efficiently.

Here you can see some of the inner workings of the tank including the drainage valve. The rather attractive, high tech bright red bucket is doing the important job of stopping any liquid dripping onto the carpet tiles!

The squid tank with the display ends removed and most of the liquid drained off.

The squid tank with the display ends removed and most of the liquid drained off.

When these photos were taken Robert, the conservator, and Mark the mountmaker were at a planning meeting for another exhibition. This afternoon they have started to replace the metal crimps used to make the wire mounts that hold up the arms and tentacles of the squid. The aluminium crimps had corroded away in the glycol. Aluminium is a highly reactive metal, but the replacement crimps are copper which is much less reactive but still easy to work with.

Work will continue over the next couple of days and we’ll try to bring you some action shots of the team at work.

By pamelalovis | Posted in Colossal squid | Also tagged , | Comments (2)

Men at work – fixing the squid

4 March 2009 – 5.53pm

We’re working on the squid!

Tuesday 10 March -  Thursday 19 March 2009

Level 2, free entry

The colossal squid has been on display now for 3 months and it’s time for a bit of a makeover and a check-up.

So from Tuesday 10  March we’ll be doing some work on the colossal squid and its display tank.  We’re hoping to get everything finished by Thursday 19 March – if everything goes according to plan.  

While we’re doing this work, you won’t be able to see the colossal squid in the tank, but you will be able to see all the other great squid stuff we have for you! This includes a 3D animation, a video that tells the remarkable story of how the squid was caught, examined by the scientists and put on display, and some amazing squid computer interactives.

You’ll also be able to watch the work being carried out on the squid by our team of technicians, conservators, and collection managers.

What’s going on? 
No museum in the world has put such a bulky squid on display – we’re learning all the time. We’re doing a bit more work to make sure the colossal squid and her tank look their best. We’re doing this now, so we can keep her on display for as long as possible.

A first in many ways
Lots of things about the colossal squid project have been a bit of an experiment. No one has tried to keep and display such a big squid in glycol before.  As with many experiments, that’s thrown up a couple of surprises. For example, the metal wire crimps holding up the squid’s arms are reacting to the glycol and corroding - so we need to replace the crimps.

The colossal squid at her best
Half a tonne of colossal squid takes some wrangling, and a small part of the mantle is pressing up against the tank lid. We’re going to try to fix this because it has the potential to damage the tissues of the specimen.

The best possible tank as well
The squid display tank is a complex piece of engineering and there are a few things we need to fix. We are going to make some improvements to the tank design so that getting samples and doing maintenance is easier.

Better access for wheelchairs
We’re also building a wheelchair ramp. This means our visitors in wheelchairs will be able to get a better and much more comfortable view of the squid in the tank. It will also help our many younger and shorter visitors see the squid!

So please bear with us as we do this important work so Wellington’s favourite squid can stay on display. We just hope you don’t have a reaction like this …

We’ll post more about the work and what’s going on next week.

By pamelalovis | Posted in Colossal squid | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (6)
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 281 other followers