This Bigfin Reef Squid is a fascinating sea creature!

These guys are in the same family as octopus. They are both members of the Cephalapod Class. They are considered mollusks, just like clams or oysters, but have no outside shell. However, the squid do have an inner shell called a pen. The pen is a stiff backbone-like structure which aids in supporting the mantle, allowing the muscles to attach and keep it’s shape.

Both squid and octopus have 3 hearts.

The squid has 2 gill hearts which are used to pump blood to the gills to get oxygen. The third is a systematic heart that pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of it’s body. Both can change color and camouflage. Both have another neat trick, which is the ability to squirt ink to evade predators! Squid have what are called chromatophores . They are small cells in their skin that are filled with colorful pigments. They can expand or shrink the cells and create an assortment of colors or patterns. Both have a powerful beak to cut, tear, or chop food into smaller pieces or even crack the tough shells of crabs or other mollusks. Unlike octopus, squid have 8 legs plus 2 additional tentacles, that are longer and are used to grab and eat their prey. The flexible arms are covered with suckers. They use the arms and suckers to surround and hold onto their prey.

The squid is the fastest swimming invertebrate and can reach speeds upwards of 25mph.

They swim by means of jet propulsion. They have a siphon that they use to shoot water with great force and propel them. Crazy enough, they can actually fly 100ft in 3 seconds and as high as 10 feet out of the water. This is done by them spreading their fins to create flaps. They form wings by spreading their tentacles in a radial pattern. Not every species of squid has this ability but is definitely a fun fact!

They have a lens on the eye to help protect them. Some squids can have eyes the size of a basketball! Squid can travel and groups and it is believed that the chromatophers can be used to communicate while staying hidden from predators. There are over 300 species of squid found from the shallow water to the deep depths of the sea. They truly are fascinating!

This colorful image was taken off a West Maui Beach by the dedicated staff of Ocean Project Maui. They offer custom, private snorkel tours around the island of Maui, Hawaii. Each #COLORSOFTHEOCEAN image you see in our monthly blog, was captured during a private guided snorkel tour. These amazing images, as well as images above and below the water of the clients/supporters are included in every tour at no additional cost.

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