Giant squid are pretty cool, right? If you want to see one (without having to go fishing) then you have a number of museums to choose from. Specimens and models are abundant enough that Indie Squid Kid put together a giant squid tour: Architeuthis Across America . . . and Beyond! (Someday I'll visit all those giant squid. Someday!)
But what's even cooler than a giant squid? Obviously, a colossal squid. And there is only one colossal squid on exhibit in the whole world. It's at the Te Papa museum in Wellington, New Zealand.
The colossal squid is so awesome that it has boosted traffic not merely to the physical Te Papa, but also to the virtual Te Papa:
Museum records show that since getting the animal Te Papa's website has been getting around two million or more hits every year, more than double the traffic it had four years ago. Management says it's due to the international interest the exhibit gained.
Unfortunately, the article about this web boost incorrectly identifies the animal as a giant squid (pretty cool) instead of a colossal squid (ZOMG SO AMAZING).
Anyway, Te Papa put together a really neat website. I mean, you can build your own squid! Productivity in my lab was severely hampered on the day we discovered that little gem.
