For the first time a giant squid has been caught intact in Italian waters and researchers hope it will help them learn more about this rare architeuthis.
The giant squids found so far in the Mediterranean have all been in a decomposed state after washing up on beaches.
This squid is one and a half meters long and weighs almost 18 kilos. It was netted by fishermen off the island of Elba in what experts said were unusual circumstances.
"Squids travel close to the surface, so it is quite unusual that it was brought up in a deep sea net," explained Dr. Paolo Sartor of Livorno's Marine Biology Lab which is examining the large mollusk.
"This specimen is in excellent condition and it will be able to tell us a lot about the species," Sartor added.
Researchers believe the squid, a female, was laying its eggs when it was caught.
Although the giant squid is not common to the Mediterranean, researchers do not believe that its appearance is related to a rise in water temperatures caused by global warming.
Earlier this week Italy's Central Institute for Marine Scientific Research and Applied Technology (ICRAM) reported that higher sea temperatures were attracting non-indigenous species to the Mediterranean. The warming of the waters has also led to the spread of fish which previously lived in more southern reaches of the sea.
"We have seen an influx of thermophilic or warm-water species in more northern Italian waters which are now also easy to find in fish markets. Among these is the Mediterranean barracuda, also known as the sea pike, which can weigh as much as two kilos," observed ICRAM research chief Franco Andaloro.
A new migratant into the Mediterranean is the Shpyrena flavicauda barracuda which arrived from the Red Sea.
"However, it is still quite rare here", Andaloro said.
"Two fish which were once rare in Italian waters but are now abundant are two members of the amberjack family, the Caranx crysos and the Caranx rhoncus," the researcher added.
Others appearing in Italian fish markets include the so-called parrot fish, the flying fish and two large mullet varieties from the Red Sea.
Aside from these edible fish, Andaloro warned, a host of dangerous ones have also come to the Mediterranean. These include three types of poisonous blowfish, two from the Atlantic and one from the Red Sea.
