The Curator of the Island's Natural History Museum has confirmed the remains of a deep sea squid to be a creature which inhabits depths of more than 900 metres.

Dr. Wolfgang Sterrer of the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) said the discovery of the head, tentacles and mantle of a Dana Octopus Squid (Taningia danae) was "unusual".

The creature is related to the Giant Squid, which reaches 24 metres in length and is also present in the waters of Bermuda.

Taningia danae grow to 2.3 metres and have bioluminescence, with flashing photophores to disorient their prey.

Inhabiting depths of 240-940 metres, specimens only tend to be found in the stomachs of sperm whales.

Dr. Sterrer said: "They are plentiful in the deep cold waters but, in the deep sea, it's difficult to get down to them.

"Even in a submersible these things are very fast swimmers and are quite shy, so they are rarely seen.

"We have the head and stubs of the tentacles, but it is rare to get a complete specimen because that's a lot of nice calamari out there in the ocean which animals enjoy.

"However, you can tell what it is by the way the suction cups are arranged on the arms. Each suction cup has one big tooth — literally a very sharp hook, and that is one of the things that identify it as a Taningia danae."

The Natural History Museum collates every animal and plant specimen found on Bermuda for the purposes of scientific research.

The remains of the squid — found at Grape Bay Beach on Sunday, will now be transferred from the BAMZ freezer to be preserved in alcohol for DNA analysis.

Dr. Sterrer said it was likely that Dr. Clyde Roper of the Smithsonian Institution would examine the specimen on his next visit to the Island. Dr. Roper, a trustee of the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI), is a world expert on deep sea squid.

Dr. Sterrer said the BAMZ only has one other specimen of Taningia danae, which was found on the Island a few years ago.

"We have seen that type of squid before in Bermuda in recent years," he said. "They are probably quite common in the deep waters around here but rarely come to the surface and are rarely caught.

"This type of squid are fairly cosmopolitan because although they live in tropical and sub-tropical waters, they also stray into colder waters

"They go from mid-water to very deep water and are often found in the stomachs of sperm whales.

"But most squid findings have been made in colder months such as January and February, so it's unusual to find one in the summer months.

"It looks like it has been pre-digested and regurgitated by a whale."