Colossal squid
The largest recorded specimen was captured in 2007 by a New Zealand fishing boat off Antarctica. It was initially estimated to measure in length and weigh . The squid was taken back to New Zealand for scientific study. A study on the specimen later showed its actual weight was , but it only measured in total length as a result of the tentacles' shrinking "post mortem".
Giant squid
By the turn of the 21st century, the giant squid remained one of the few extant megafauna to have never been photographed alive, either in the wild or in captivity. Marine biologist and author Richard Ellis described it as "the most elusive image in natural history". In 1993, an image purporting to show a diver with a live giant squid (identified as "Architeuthis dux") was published in the book "European Seashells". However, the animal in this photograph was a sick or dying "Onykia robusta", not a giant squid. The first footage of live (larval) giant squid ever captured on film was in 2001. The footage was shown on "Chasing Giants: On the Trail of the Giant Squid" on the Discovery Channel.