Humboldt Squid

The Humboldt Squid.

Intro

Humboldt Squid (Dosidicus Gigas), Jumbo Flying Squid, or Jumbo Squid is a rather large and predatory squid that lives throughout the Eastern Pacific, living at depths of 660-2,300 ft underwater.

Biology

The Humboldt Squid possesses a (potentially) rare organ usually only in cephalopods and other invertebrates, such as the octopus, cuttlefish, and other squid relatives. This organ is called the Chromatophore, allowing it to shift it’s color, although the Humboldt Squid has another color-related piece, known as metachrosis, meaning the Humboldt Squid can rapidly shift from red to white, or the other way around. Scientists have also found atleast 28 separate color patterns in the Humboldt Squid used for communication, with different patterns holding diffeent meanings, pretty much having their own language. Thought to be the largest squid for many, it’s not, reaching a length of 8 feet long, with an adult Humboldt Squids mantle (The upper mass of a squid, which usually has flap-like protrusions on the side of it) reaching the length of usually 4 feet and 11 inches, or 1.5 meters. A Humboldt Squid has 10 tentacles (arms), with 2 longer ones usually for the purpose of feeding, with each one having 100 to possibly even over 200 suckers (spikes, barbs, etc), using these to it’s advantage of reeling in and tearing apart it’s prey (which might be you). Humboldt Squids also have bioluminescent organs, which are called photophores, making it so that it can generate light, making it effective in communication.

Sadly, I could not find any real pictures of it’s color patterns.

Habitat

As said, the Humboldt Squid lives within the Eastern Pacific Ocean, with depths reaching 660 feet to 2,300 feet underwater. They are also native to Mexico’s warm seas. However, recently, Humboldt Squid have recently started migrating farther to Alaska, North California, Britsh Columbia, and near the northwestern coast of Washington.

Diet

A Humboldt squid, being predatory, is carnivorous, usually feeding on smaller Crustaceans, Copepods, small sharks, and even other Squids or Cephalopods. While you may think a single Humboldt Squid is not as dangerous you may think, you are quite wrong. They can use their razor sharp barbs to latch onto it’s prey, reel it in very fast, and tear it apart and eat it. So don’t get all up into it’s business trying to photograph it or record it, because you will be bitten, badly injured, or even worse, killed. Although if it were to just be reeling in prey that isn’t human, it would be reeled in even faster because they weigh less, yet that isn’t saying you will be reeled in slow, it still would be quite fast.

Humboldt Squids and Humans

As you heard in the previous section, Humboldt Squid are very dangerous and very aggressive, and while you may have thought Humboldt Squid-Human killings are rare, well they can be. It is very much possible that a Humboldt Squid can kill a human if that person is trying to hold it or pretty much anything, but it is not for bloodthirstiness that it kills a human, it is merely for protection. Another possible reason is that humans eat Humboldt Squid, and the Squids know we have them and are killing them. THAT would be an intelligent species. But this is no joke, people do eat Humboldt Squid, and Humboldt Squid kill humans. In fact, they are actually a large part of the Squid Market (What I call the market in which squid is sold).

Ending and Facts

Well, pretty much everything here I researched is new, and possibly to you aswell. And now for Fact 1: If you see a red Humboldt Squid and your near it, swim away, as red colors in Humboldt Squid symbolize aggression. Fact 2: Despite a Humboldt Squids aggressive attitude, it can be friendly and even curious, especially towards light sources, which explains it’s way of communicating. And now, for the Final Fact: Humboldt Squids, during a shortage of prey/food, they turn to cannibalism, feeding on the smaller/smallest members of their group. And that’s it for now.

Credits to Wikipedia, American Oceans, and the internet for this information.