Hobbies And Interests
Appearance
Squid have cigar-shaped bodies, with two eyes and a mouth with a sharp beak at one end, with eight arms lined with suckers and two strong tentacles with suckers only on the ends, used to dart out and grab prey. At the opposite end of the body from the eyes, mouth and arms, squid have two fins on either side of their bodies, used for swimming and steering the squid body through the water. Squids have three hearts and move through the water tail first. Similar to octopuses, squids have an ink sac. Squid species come in a range of sizes from 1 inch to more than 60 feet long.
Life Cycle
The squid life cycle is short, three to five years, with many squid species, such as the market squid, living only one year. Female squids can release large amounts of eggs, sometimes more than ten pounds, after they spawn in groups. Most baby squid mature in three to five years, mate and spawn and then die off. Adult squids don't live long after mating and spawning.
Habitat
Squid habitat is water, both fresh and salt water. Squid live and hunt in diverse bodies of water, depths and temperatures, varying by species. Giant squid species live on the ocean floor in saltwater oceans in very cold water. Many species of squid live at depths around 1,000 feet, with juveniles living nearer the surface.
Food
Squid are solitary hunters and meat eaters. They eat a variety of aquatic animals, including shrimp, crabs and fish, as well as other squid. They are very adaptable survivors and take advantage of available food in their area. They hunt their prey, swimming up fast on it and grabbing it with its two strong tentacles, then tearing it apart with their beaks and swallowing it.