Giant squid from the deep 深海的大王魷魚

A squid as long as a bus and weighing 250kg has washed up on an Australian beach.

"It is a whopper,'' said Genefor Walker-Smith, a zoologist from the Tasmanian Museum.

Giant squid live in waters off southern Australia and New Zealand. Sperm whales like to eat the giant squid.

The dead squid measures 1m across at its widest point and 8m from the tip of its body to the end of its tentacles. It was found by a beachcomber on Tasmania's west coast, the museum said.

The squid was expected to be taken to the museum. DNA and other scientific tests will be carried out before it is preserved. It will possibly be put on public display.

And for anyone thinking of a squid feast, Walker-Smith said giant squid contain high levels of ammonia in their bodies to help them float.

"It would not taste very nice at all,'' she said.

一條跟巴士一樣長、重達兩百五十公斤的大王魷魚，被沖刷到了澳洲一處海灘。

塔斯馬尼亞博物館的動物學家吉奈佛．沃克史密絲說︰「牠簡直是龐然大物。」

「大王魷魚」生長在南澳與紐西蘭海岸旁，是抹香鯨喜歡的食物。

這隻已魂歸西天的魷魚寬達一公尺，身體頂端到觸角的長度更長達八公尺。博物館表示，塔斯馬尼亞西岸一名海灘拾荒者發現了牠。

這條魷魚將被送往塔斯馬尼亞博物館，先進行DNA 與其他科學檢驗，再製成標本，也可能會公開展示。

對於想吃魷魚大餐的人，沃克史密絲說大王魷魚體內含有高成分的氨水，才能漂浮起來。

她說︰「牠的風味可能不佳。」（美聯社/翻譯︰賴美君）