Ocean Animals: SQUID

 

SQUID

Scientific name : Teuthida

• Habitat: all over the world
• Diet: Shrimps, small fish, squid and plankton
• Predators: sharks, bigger squids, octopuses and big fishes
• Special abilities: squirting ink on predators
• Rank in the food chain: secondary consumer
• Type of water it lives in: saltwater
• Biggest type: colossal squid
• Smallest type: Caribbean reef squid
• Size: 1cm-6mr
• Relatives: octopus and cuttlefish

 

Squid are mollusks that live in the ocean. Mollusks are a group of animals with soft bodies. Squid are closely related to octopuses, but they have 10 arms instead of eight. Squid can live either near the coast or deep in the ocean.

 

A squid has a long, tube-shaped body with a short head. A shell supports the body from the inside. Giant squid can be 60 feet (18 meters) long and weigh 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms). Some other squid are less than an inch (2.5 centimeters) long. A squid has large eyes, usually on the sides of its head. Two of a squid's 10 arms are longer than the others. Suckers on the long arms help the squid catch fish and shellfish to eat.

 

Squid can be fast swimmers, or they can just drift along. Whales, sea birds, and other animals eat squid. Squid often use their speed to escape enemies. They also can hide from enemies by changing color to blend in with rocks or seaweed. Like an octopus, a squid can spray a cloud of inky fluid into the water to confuse the enemy.

 

After mating, a female squid lays hundreds to thousands of eggs. The eggs are grouped together in jellylike strands. The female leaves the eggs alone to develop. Within several weeks they hatch into a small form of the adult.