The University of Mississippi Graduate School

While trolling the deep, cold waters of the Bering Sea last summer, biology graduate student Will Bet-Sayed netted an 80-pound giant squid. As soon as Bet-Sayed hauled the specimen aboard, he knew that it was an important catch.

"These squid are hardly ever seen, much less preserved intact," he said. "To catch one is a very rare occurrence."

Bet-Sayed was in the Bering Sea taking part in the National Marine Fisheries Observer Program, a program that monitors the health and resiliency of commercial fish populations.

Moroteuthis robusta, or North Pacific giant squid, inhabit the Bering Sea, the North Pacific Ocean, and the Gulf of Alaska. A deep-water animal, Bet-Sayed's specimen was caught at a depth of nearly 1,000 feet.

After preserving the squid and transporting it back to campus, Bet-Sayed decided to donate his specimen to the Department of Biology, where it will be used as an impressive teaching tool. The University of Washington is the only other school in the nation to have a squid of this type in its collection.