An exhibition in honour of the colossal squid caught by a Timaru fishing vessel in Antarctica has landed in the district.
Parts of the squid make up a travelling exhibition by The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, which is now on display at the South Canterbury Museum and its director Philip Howe is excited by its “Timaru-link”.
“It shows locals that big discoveries can be made anywhere,’’ Howe said.
In 2007, the crew on board a Sanford deep-sea vessel accidentally caught the creature while fishing for toothfish in the Antarctic bay, Ross Sea.
READ MORE:
* Farewell Spit tour made extra memorable by giant squid discovery
* Mr Moa scientist cuts 30-year Te Papa connection over staff treatment
* Te Papa’s biggest revamp in 21 years tackles the challenges of climate, pollution and extinction
“I’m sure they were amazed at the huge squid they pulled out of the depths of the ocean.”
The squid, weighing 450 kilogrammes at the time, was taken back to Timaru’s port and stored at Sanford before it was taken to Te Papa for scientific study.
“I like the thought that a squid pulled by a boat out of Timaru is a big source of data and has fuelled a lot of research.
“That’s the great thing about science and museum work, it’s that there is always discoveries to be made … the final page of history can never be written.”
The interactive exhibition, which opened on Saturday, will include the same squid’s double-lens eyeball and giant tentacle, squid eggs, a replica of the squid’s beak and a baby squid.
Te Papa curator of invertebrates Dr Rodrigo Salvador said the colossal squid is one of the largest invertebrate species in existence but is “rarely captured”, with only eight scientifically reported.
“Te Papa’s colossal squid has been a major source of information for scientists and the museum’s most popular exhibit since its debut.”
The squid will be in Timaru until November 20, and has already visited the Waikato Museum and was in Nelson from late-May until last Sunday.
Te Papa’s two touring exhibition managers Jake Yocum and Pat Stodart were in Timaru last week to set up.
Yocum said Te Papa was committed to bringing the museum’s collections to the regions.
“The Te Papa collection is for the nation, and therefore it’s part of our duty to bring it to audiences that might not be able to get to Te Papa.”
Yocum said the squid exhibition was a “really compact exhibition” and was easy to transport.
“We are able to sort of dissemble it, take it apart and sort of pack it into a decent sized van.”
Howe said the South Canterbury Museum was at times limited by its small space and unable to house travelling exhibitions.
He said the museum would put together a display “showing the diversity of molluscs” surrounding the Te Papa exhibit.
A lot of people did not realise the giant squid is in the same family as garden snails found in their backyard, he said.
© 2022 Stuff Limited