![]() Humboldt squid are thought to have a lifespan of about a year, although larger individuals may survive up to 2 years. Įlectronic tagging has shown Humboldt squid undergo diel vertical migrations, which bring them closer to the surface from dusk to dawn. They swim at speeds up to 24 km/h (15 mph 13 kn). Humboldt squid are carnivorous marine invertebrates that move in shoals of up to 1,200 individuals. Behavior Ī Humboldt squid photographed at a depth of 250 m (820 ft) off California Their two tentacles bear 100–200 suckers, each lined with razor-sharp teeth, with which they grasp prey and drag it toward a large, sharp beak. They are propelled by water ejected through a hyponome ( siphon) and by two triangular fins. Precise ratios depend on the age, sex and sizes of the individual squid. The gladius (the single inner 'bone') is 0.7–1.0%. The gonads consist of 1.5–15.0% of the total mass. Generally, the mantle (or body) constitutes about 56–62% of the animal's mass (which includes the fins or wings), the arms and tentacles about 11–15%, the head (including eyes and beak) about 10–13%, the outer skin (cuticle) 2.5–5.0%, the liver 4.2–5.6%, with the rest made up of the other inner organs. They appear to be sexually dimorphic, on average the females mature at larger sizes than the males. The Humboldt squid is the largest of the Ommastrephid squids, as some individuals may grow to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in mantle length and weigh up to 50 kg (110 lb). They notably rapidly flash red and white when captured, earning them the nickname diablo rojo (meaning 'red devil') among local fishermen in Baja California, Mexico. Local names for it are jibia in Chile or pota in Peru. Ī general name for this species in Spanish in Latin America is calamar gigante. The name Humboldt refers to the Humboldt Current, off the southwestern coast of South America, where it was first collected. This species is most often known as jumbo squid in English, but has also been called jumbo flying squid or Humboldt squid, with the last name most popular in naturalist sources. The German zoologist George Pfeffer synonymized D. In 1857 the Danish zoologist Japetus Steenstrup proposed the new genus Dosidicus to house the species. In Chile, Claude Gay, another French naturalist, obtained some specimens and sent them to the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris, where it was determined that the species did not belong with Loligo either. The French naturalist Alcide d'Orbigny renamed it Loligo gigas in 1835. The existence of this creature was first reported to the scientific world by the Chilean priest and polymath Juan Ignacio Molina in 1782, who named it Sepia tunicata, Sepia being the cuttlefish genus.
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