Kingdom : Animalia Class : Cephalopoda Family : Oegopsina Scientific Name : Teuthida Size : 22 - 1,400cm (8.6 - 551in) Weight : 0.3 - 500kg (0.6 - 1,102lbs) Top Speed : 30km/h (18mph) Life Span : 5 - 30 years Colour : Black, Grey, Brown, White Skin Type : Smooth Special Features : Long, powerful tentacles and streamline body
- Squids are marine cephalopods found in all the oceans of the world.
- They are quite similar to the Octopus.
- They have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle and eight arms and two tentacles.
- Their arms and tentacles are arranged in pairs.
- There are around 300 species of squids found around the world.
- On an average the squids grow to be 20cm long, though a few grow to be around 60cm.
- The colossal Squid found in the deep Pacific Ocean is known to grow 14m long!
- The squids are an excellent source of nutrition and are preyed upon by a lot of animals.
- Their natural predators include sharks, penguins, seals and humans.
- Squids inhabiting the freezing Antarctic waters feed on krill and plankton.
- Larger species of squid commonly hunt larger prey like fish.
- Due to their numerous predators they do not live longer in the wild, though their average lifespan is 5-30 years.