What Do Squid Eat?
Most of us that have read Jules Verne’s classic book, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, or Moby Dick, have a frightening picture of giant squids. Squid are cephalopods just like jellyfish and octopus. They live in the coastal and deep ocean waters of the world.
Most squid consume small fish, shrimp, small crustaceans and other sea animals. The hard shells of crustaceans present no problem for the squid as their hard beak can break through the shell of most creatures with an exoskeleton.
The giant squid, the largest species of the squid family, feeds on larger fish, small sharks and even young whales.
How Squid Eat and Move
Squid range in sizes from a few millimeters to the largest sized squid, which are over 45 feet long. Squid consume their prey by holding the prey with their two longest arms and then wrapping their other tentacles around the prey and feeding it into their mouth. Alternatively, the squid will tear and rip off bite size pieces until the prey have been eaten.
The two longest legs of the squid have paddle-like structures on the end that are lined with suckers. The suckers hold the fish or other prey while the other tentacles wrap around the prey to prevent escape and to allow the prey to be brought to the mouth.
The suckers on the end of the arms number on the tens to the hundreds depending on the particular size of the squid. These suckers are ringed with sharp teeth with a hook-like structure that most prey find extremely difficult or impossible to allow escape.
Humboldt Squid
One of the larger species of squid is the Humboldt squid. They grow to the length of about seven feet and have a very aggressive behavior towards their prey. They historically have been found mostly in equatorial waters but recently they have expanded their territory as far north as the California coast.
As unlikely as it seems, a few have even been spotted in the icy waters of the Arctic. They are not hostile towards humans; but, they do compete with fishermen for their catch. The fishing industry has distinct concerns about the encroaching of squid on their fishing grounds.
Squid Movement
Squid move through the water by throwing out some of their arms into the water around them and then pulling them back together, thus propelling themselves through the water. They have a rather unique defense mechanism. They can expel a very dark inky like fluid that will cloud the water and conceal their escape.
Study of Squid
Scientists still know very little about these elusive sea creatures. Much of their behaviors and habits are still a mystery. They do recognize however, that the squid and octopus are the most intelligent of all the cephalopods in the oceans. They are very adaptive to their environment and have a fierce ability to protect themselves.
Part of the belief that they are more intelligent comes from the fact that they survive without a shell to protect themselves. The anatomical structure of their eyes is also an important clue. The eye of the squid is as complex as the human eye, possessing a lens, retina and many of the other features that vertebrates have.
What Eats Squid?
The natural predators of the squid include the moray eel, seals, sea lions, whales, sea stars and some bird species.
The giant squid is the only exception. Their only predator is the sperm whale. Due to their size and strength, no other sea creature would pick a fight with a giant squid.
Man is also a predator of squid. Culinary dishes abound that use squid ink for the coloring of pasta or sauces or eaten as rings of the body, which is called calamari. The dishes of Greece and Italy seem to be the most prominent cultures to make use of this food from the sea.