What is the difference between squid and octopus? Description, characteristics, differences

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

Sometimes you can hear the question of what is the difference between a squid and an octopus? In fact, they belong to the order of cephalopods, but there are significant differences between them. These marine inhabitants prefer to spend most of their lives at depth, but there are cases when they rose to the surface. How the squid differs from the octopus will be described in detail in the proposed article.

Eight legs

Considering the question of how the squid differs from the octopus, one should study the features of each of these representatives of the deep sea. Let's start with this.

Octopuses, or octopuses, are the most famous detachment of cephalopods today. Octopuses, which will be discussed later, are representatives of the incirrina suborder, belong to the bottom animals.

There is also a suborder cirrina, whose representatives are pelagicanimals that live in the water column. It should be noted that most representatives of this suborder are found exclusively at great depths. The name "octopus" is translated from ancient Greek as "eight legs".

It should be noted that there are poisonous representatives of this species. For example, the blue-ringed octopus. It belongs to one of the most poisonous animals on the planet. Its poison is dangerous even for humans and can be fatal.

Description

These representatives of the deep sea have a soft, short, oval body at the back. The mouth opening is located in the same place where the tentacles begin their growth. They are collected in the so-called mantle and outwardly resemble a leather bag with folds. In the mouth of the octopus there are two powerful jaws that look like the beak of a macaw parrot. There is a radula in the throat - this is a special grater designed to grind food.

Eight tentacles grow from the head of this mollusk, which are a kind of "hands". They are interconnected by a thin membrane. The tentacles have several rows of suckers (from one to three). Their total number in an adult can reach more than 2000. With the help of these suckers, octopuses can keep their prey. Each of them has a holding force of 100 grams on average, which together makes for a very impressive figure.

Internal organs

The octopus has three hearts: the main one pumps blue blood through the body, and two auxiliary (gill) ones pass it throughgills. These cephalopods are unique in their kind. Due to the fact that they do not have a skeleton, they can significantly change their shape. They also have the ability to mimic. That is to disguise. They change not only the shape, but also the color of their body. The octopus uses these traits when hunting for fish or when threatened.

As scientists have found out, the octopus brain is the most highly developed among all invertebrates. They have very well developed vision, moreover, they can perceive sound and even infrasound. On the tentacles of an octopus, in addition to suckers, there are about 10 thousand taste buds that determine whether an object is edible or not.

Due to their set of characteristics, these cephalopods are excellent hunters. Adults are considered the dominant representatives of the seabed and depths. The danger for them is only large fish and some sharks.

Squids

Let's consider the second representative of the sea depths. What is the difference between squid and octopus? The former belong to the order of ten-armed cephalopods. On average, these marine inhabitants have a size of 25 to 50 cm. However, there are representatives that reach up to 17 m. These are, for example, giant squids that amaze with their size. They are the largest invertebrates on the planet.

Squids have ten tentacles that are divided into pairs. As a result of evolutionary processes, the fourth pairlengthened compared to others. Like the octopus, this cephalopod tentacle has suckers, but there are far fewer of them. Squids have a torpedo-shaped, streamlined body. This form allows them to develop very high speed.

Description

Answering the question, what is the difference between an octopus and a squid, it must be said that the latter have a cartilaginous arrow running along their entire body. It is a kind of basis for the body. The color of squid is different, some representatives of this species change it with small electric charges. They generate electricity on their own.

Squids breathe through pectinate gills, and their main sense organs are eyes, papillae and a pair of statocysts, which are responsible for balance and depth determination. These cephalopods also have three hearts, like octopuses, but it is connected to the three pairs of main tentacles, not to the gills. Squids have the ability to regenerate. That is, if he loses any part of his body, it will be restored over time.

If we compare who is larger - squid or octopus, then it can be argued that at present the largest representative discovered by man is the first of them. Its length reaches about 17 m, however, according to scientists, this is not the limit.

Of course, quite large octopuses can be found in the depths of the ocean, however, in comparison with giant squids, they do not look very big. Although they themselves are also quite impressive in size. You can clearly see in the photo what is differentoctopus squid.

Currently, to get to know these representatives of the underwater world, you can visit the aquarium. Here you can immediately see the difference between these mollusks, and there is also an opportunity to appreciate their extraordinary beauty.