Wildlife
Squids are fast-swimming, predatory molluscs. They locate their prey by sight, and ensnare the victim by shooting out two of their tentacles armed with suckers or hooks. The prey is then killed by a bite from the squid's beak. Squid are fussy eaters, though, and often 'fillet' the meat from a fish in tiny bites and discard the rest. This is partly because their brain surrounds the throat, which makes it risky to swallow sharp or hard objects such as fish bones.
Scientific name: Teuthida
Rank: Order
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Smart squid
Caribbean reef squid use brain power for a quick change act.
Caribbean reef squid use brain power for a quick change act.
Rainbow courtship
Australian squid use colour to attract a mate.
Australian squid use colour to attract a mate.
Alien Like Colossal Squid – Museum of Life
A pioneering project finds a new species at the bottom of the sea off the coast of Sweden.
Jimmy Doherty goes behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum. A pioneering project finds a new species at the bottom of the sea off the coast of Sweden.
The Squid can be found in a number of locations including: Antarctica, Arctic, Great Barrier Reef, Mediterranean. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
A comparison of the giant squid's size in relation to humans.
Discover the other animals and plants that lived during the following geological time periods.
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles. Squid are strong swimmers and certain species can "fly" for short distances out of the water.
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Triassic period
Jurassic period
Cretaceous period
Palaeocene epoch
Eocene epoch
Oligocene epoch
Miocene epoch
Pliocene epoch
Pleistocene epoch
Holocene epoch