This lovely 21.5 foot squid is now hanging around Paris's Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. The creature has been plastinated, meaning its fluids have been replaced with a polymer. (It's the same process Gunther von Hagens used for the Body Worlds exhibitions.) The squid was donated by the country of New Zealand. From the BBC News:
A pink pigment was added to make it look as close as possible to the living creature…
The usual way of preserving life forms – by pickling them in a jar – would, the museum said, have been demeaning, and out of the question.
Link to BBC News, Link to museum page
