According to research from Charles Paxton, fisheries ecologist and statistician at Scotland’s University of St. Andrews, published in the Journal of Zoology this month, the giant squid could grow to reach as much as 65 feet. But even that is a “conservative analysis,” as size could protect against their #1 predator.
Because of their adaptive abilities — rapid growth, short lifespans and flexible development — cephalopods are sometimes called “the weeds of the sea.” And it seems like that might be serving them well.
According to study published in Current Biology cephalopod abundance has increased since the 1950s. The reason for this growth is not yet clear, but it maybe that their adaptability has allowed them to thrive in a changing climate while other ocean dwelling populations suffer. Study author Bronwyn Gillanders says that figuring out the reason for cephalopod abundance may tell us a lot about “how human activities are changing the ocean.”
Btw, no cephalopods were harmed in the making of this photo! The little squid is still in the water, in a petri dish, with the dime underneath the dish.
We’re geeking out over the newest addition to our Tentacles exhibition: the striped pyjama squid!
These shy cephalopods have never been displayed in the United States before. To make it happen, our aquarists figured out how to rear these ready-for-bedtime-squid from eggs to hatchlings and finally to adults able to lay viable eggs.
Luckily the Tentacles team has a lot of
experienceraisingcephalopods. According to aquarist
Bret Grasse, they were able to unlock the mysteries of the pyjama squid
lifecycle with “the right combination of genders and some positive vibes. We
also provided a comfortable habitat and good egg-laying medium for them to
deposit eggs on.”
Look closely at the pyjama squid’s stripes and you’ll see that they’re
actually made up of tiny dots. These are chromatophores,
color organs made of nerves and muscles and tiny sacs of pigment that change
an animal’s coloring when they expand or contract. Our aquarists have seen
pyjama squid flashing their stripes when threatened or when they’re trying to
repel fellow pyjama squid from going after a tasty shrimp during feeding time.
“They try to look menacing by making dark stripes on their mantle, but this only
makes them look cuter in my opinion,” notes Bret.
Native to waters around Australia, pyjama squid can grow to about two
inches long. They like to burrow in the sand with only their eyes peeking out to
spot potential predators and prey. Nestled in the substrate with their jammie
stripes, they enjoy an all-day bedtime and emerge at night to hunt.
You can spot the striped pyjama squid in our Tentacles exhibition! Look
for these banded cuties across the way from the nautilus exhibit.
The Giant Squid (Genus Architeuthis) is a deep-ocean creature that can grow to 13m. The giant squid uses the two tentacles to catch prey which includes deep-sea fish and other squids, they then feed with the beak. The only known predator of the giant squid is the sperm whale (and possibly the pilot whale) and the smaller ones are preyed on by sharks. These creatures are very widespread but are rare to find in tropical and polar latitude.
despite its colourful appearance, the hawaiian bobtail squid (euprymna scolopes) has the ability to render itself invisible to predators from bellow, thanks to a luminescent bacteria, vibrio fischeri, which inhabits a special light organ in the squid’s mantle.
the bacteria, which are fed a sugar and amino acid solution by the squid, produce luciferase, an enzyme that facilitates a biochemical reaction that produces light.
the nocturnal squid, who can control the amount of light produced by the bacteria, are able to ensure that they are not silhouetted when passing through the light of the moon or the stars by emitting an equal amount of light on their underside to that which hits them from above.
