A squid pulled from a sperm whale's stomach during an Antarctic whaling expedition in 1955–56 sat overlooked in scientific collections for nearly 70 years — until researchers realised it wasn't just a new species, but an entirely new family of oceanic squid no one knew existed.

A squid pulled from a sperm whale's stomach during an Antarctic whaling expedition in 1955–56 sat overlooked in scientific collections for nearly 70 years — until researchers realised it wasn't just a new species, but an entirely new family of oceanic squid no one knew existed.

A preserved squid collected from a sperm whale’s stomach in 1955 or 1956 has turned out to be far more unusual than its label suggested. The animal, held for decades as an example of the sharp-ear enope squid Ancistrocheirus lesueurii, is now the sole known representative of Mobydickia poseidonii and of a newly created family, Mobydickidae. The description appeared in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society in July 2025. Sam Arnold, David …