Page 212 - Atlas Of The World's Strangest Animals

212 ATLAS OF THE WORLD’S STRANGEST ANIMALS

in some species, sharp, rasping claws.They also have two
Opalescent squid habitats
longer tentacles, with suckers on the end, which are used
to grasp prey and pull it towards the arms.This extra set of
tentacles makes them decapods, not octopods.The mouth
itself sits in the centre of this writhing mass, and contains a
horny beak that is used to break open tough shells.A
poison gland lies just inside the jaws, and the poison
disables the prey, making it easier to dissect.
These brilliantly colourful creatures reach sexual
maturity at 4–8 months, when they collect near the coast
to spawn.With a specially adapted arm, males deposit their
sperm inside the females’ bodies using pre-prepared
packages called spermatophores. She then ejects her eggs
in jelly-filled sacs. It used to be believed that opalescent
squid died immediately after spawning. Death certainly
follows very soon afterwards, but adults may survive to
repeat the procedure numerous times in the weeks before
they die. Once hatched, little is known about how the tiny
paralarvae survive, but it’s likely they travel to the surface
to feed. It takes around two months before they grow big
enough to hunt as adults and at least another two before
Squid are a type of marine cephalopod.These odd-looking they’re ready to breed.
creatures are descended from molluscs, but their bodies are
dramatically different. Unlike their ancestors, which had a Added extras
hard outer shell, squid have soft exteriors.Their bodies are Once they’re fully grown, opalescent squid are formidable
long and tube-shaped, with a small head.The word hunters and use a range of adaptations both to catch prey
cephalopod means ‘head footed’ because, like octopi, squid and to avoid becoming prey themselves.
have eight, strong, flexible arms that are attached directly In the wild, the skin of these colourful cephalopods
to the head.These are lined with two rows of suckers and, ranges from white to brown, but they can change their

Comparisons

Ever since people took to the seas, they’ve been telling tales of giant oceans.The largest known specimen was a colossal squid
squid.There are around 300 known species, but it’s difficult to confirm (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) which measured 4.2m (13.8ft). Estimates
exactly how big some of them grow because many live in the deep suggest that they may reach 14m (45.9ft).

Deep-sea squid Opalescent squid

15 12 9 6 3 0 m

(c) 2011 Marshall Cavendish. All Rights Reserved.