The Deep Sea's Heaviest Invertebrate
Suspended inside a custom-built tank is the world's only intact adult colossal squid specimen. This deep-sea creature, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, weighs 495 kilograms (1,091 pounds) and measures 4.2 meters (13.7 feet) long. In February 2007, a New Zealand fishing vessel accidentally caught the squid while longlining for Patagonian toothfish in the Ross Sea, off the coast of Antarctica. Recognizing its scientific importance, the crew carefully froze the animal whole onboard the ship.
The squid is a sub-adult female, meaning the species can likely grow even larger. Its anatomy shows the biology of a poorly understood animal. Colossal squid possess the largest beaks of any squid and have unique, swiveling hooks on their tentacles, suggesting they are aggressive predators. The lower beak of this specimen has a rostral length of 42.5 millimeters, but beaks up to 49 millimeters have been found in the stomachs of sperm whales, their primary predator. Its eyes, though not perfectly preserved, are estimated to be the largest in the animal kingdom. After its arrival at the museum, it was carefully thawed and examined by scientists before being preserved for public display.
An Engineered Fortress on a Fault Line
Te Papa Tongarewa sits on soft, reclaimed land near a major geological fault line. To protect its two million collection items, the 64,000-tonne building is earthquake engineered. The entire structure rests on 152 base isolators, a New Zealand invention. These devices, made of layers of rubber and steel with a lead core, are giant shock absorbers. They allow the building to slide up to half a meter in any direction during a seismic event, effectively separating the museum from the ground's jolting movements. This technology protects the people and treasures inside from even a once-in-2,000-year earthquake.
The museum’s Te Taiao | Nature exhibition allows visitors to experience these geological forces directly. An earthquake house simulator recreates the shaking of past events, providing a physical sensation of the ground moving. A separate exhibition, Quake Braker, takes you underground to view the actual base isolators that protect the building. Interactive displays show how the technology works to dampen the energy of an earthquake.