It would take decades, however, before we finally came face to face with the colossal squid. Under sombre, mausoleum lighting at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa rests a monster.

On the other end of the scale, the giant Australian cuttlefish weighs up to 22 pounds and measures about 1.5 feet long. Both cuttlefish and squid are ... Giant squids and colossal squids ...