| A Squid is a marine mollusk ( animal with a soft boneless body ) that is similar to the Octopus, and Nautilus. They frequently inhabit all seas and swim in large groups called "Shoals". Like an Octopus, a squid can rapidly change the colors and patterns of their bodies, often to blend with their surroundings. I has two "fins" at the tail end. The head is surrounded by 10 arms, two of which are longer than the others. Each arm has a series of circular suction discs which it use to catch and hold on to prey. The animal has a shell inside its bodie called the "horny pen". Squid range in between 1 to 40 feet in length counting legs. The giant squid may be as much as 60 feet. The squid's head has two well-developed eyes, powerful jaws, and a toothed radula (tongue). A muscular funnel lies beneath the head. It moves by filling the folds in its body walls and then forcing the water through this tube. The "jet-like" action makes a squid very fast. It also has an "ink-sac" wich it uses to squirt a cloud of ink in self defense. |
