Scientists in New Zealand will shortly put their rare intact colossal squid specimen under the dissection knife.

The 10-metre (34 feet) long, half-tonne carcasse has been defrosting since Monday afternoon in Wellington.

Very little is known about colossal squid; only about 10 specimens have ever been caught and brought to shore.

Scientists hope the dissection will yield new information about where and how they live and breed.

The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa is showing the operation on a live webcast.

One of the first tasks will be determining the creature's gender.

"If we get ourselves a male it will be the first reported (scientific) description of the male of the species," noted Steve O'Shea, a squid expert at Auckland's University of Technology, who is among the scientific team of 10.

The Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni specimen was caught in February 2007 in the Ross Sea off Antarctica.

Deep questions

The team is also dissecting a much smaller colossal squid specimen that has part of its body missing, and a giant squid (a member of the Architeuthis genus.

Architeuthis can be as long as colossal squid, but their bodies are smaller and thinner.

Their tentacles also lack the swivelling barbed clubs that make Mesonychoteuthis a potent warrior and hunter - so potent that is has but one natural predator, the sperm whale.

Lacerations found on the outside of sperm whale's bodies suggest the two species regularly do mighty battle far beneath the waves.

Already, as the museum's ice thaws, the larger colossal squid's beak has emerged, and appears to measure about 5cm across.

Since 1925, only a few Mesonychoteuthis have been sighted, all in the seas around Antarctica which seem to be its principal home.

If this one does turn out to be male, that will increase scientists' suspicion that there must be bigger individuals out there, because females are thought to be the larger of the two sexes.

Later in the week, scientists are expected to give public lectures about their initial results.

Once thawed and examined, the squid will be embalmed and preserved.

Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

(BBC)

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