Scientists dissected a colossal squid before a live internet audience yesterday in one of the coolest scientific displays you'll see on the online. While plenty of scientific procedures can be viewed online, not many procedures like this are live streamed. And the best part is if you missed it, you can view it on YouTube, or just click the play button below.

The squid was caught off the coast of Antarctica back in December of last year by fisherman. This specimen is only the second adult colossal squid that has ever been caught intact. The reason being is that these creatures typically live far below the ocean's surface and rarely interact with humans.

Before yesterday, the squid had been frozen for the past eight months. A New Zealand team of scientists thawed it out this week and performed the procedure live. The squid was gigantic and measured about 11 feet long and weighed approximately 770 pounds. The sea creature was so large that it had to be brought into the facility on a forklift. 

This specimen differs from others in that its eyes are about one foot in diameter and its tentacles have hooks. 

There is actually a difference between a colossal squid and a giant squid, oddly enough. A colossal squid is actually not as long on average as a giant squid, though they are much heavier. Giant squids are much more rare in terms of being observed by humans or even cameras, though one was captured on camera back in 2013 for the first time. 

Colossal squids have been known to scientists since the early part of the 20th century. The majority of evidence of the colossal squid's existence came from the contents of sperm whale stomachs. It was quite a long time before an intact adult specimen was ever captured. 2007 was the first time an adult colossal squid was caught. 

That 2007 squid is on display at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

This most recent colossal squid was caught last December by the same ship that caught the 2007 specimen. The captain of the ship that caught it, John Bennet, stated of catching another giant squid, "there was so much excitement about his previous catch, he thought he had better save the latest one for research."

Scientists are particularly excited whenever they can examine a colossal or giant squid specimen because there is still apparently a lot they don't know about their anatomy.