The Humboldt squid is a cephalopod belonging to the Ommastrephidae family. It mainly lives in that part of the Pacific Ocean, where the Peruvian current passes, at depths from 0.2 - 0.7 km.
Its dimensions are impressive, the length can reach up to 2 m, and weight up to 50 kg. The body consists of a head, legs and 10 tentacles. There is no external sink. The lower part of the leg is modified to a funnel, necessary for movement. The rest is represented by the mantle cavity with internal organs. The tentacles extending from the leg and surrounding the mouth are equipped with suction cups. There are two traps, they are longer. The remaining 8, sometimes called hands, serve to hold the victim.
The Humboldt squid has complex vision. The photos presented in the article demonstrate large eyes well. Of the sense organs, the sense of touch is developed, there are taste cells. Chromatophores are common to most cephalopods. In an instant, body color can change from creamy gray to red and back again.
Squid marine has bioluminescence, which consists in the ability to glow with the lower part of the body. This feature helps to hunt and confuse predators. In the mating season, it is used to attract attention.
The Humboldt squid has colorless blood. When interacting with oxygen, it becomes blue, because. hemocyanin, an oxygen-carrying protein, contains copper ions (our blood is red because oxygen is carried in it by hemoglobin, which is based on iron ions).
The Humboldt squid is not alone. The lifestyle is flocking, sometimes such a company exceeds 1000 individuals. They feed on fish, crabs, and sometimes their relatives. Cases of attacks on people are described. Passive when full, occasionally curious.
Movement with water ejection in the opposite direction is energy-consuming. For a long time it remained unclear how, when diving, it passes through areas of ocean water with a reduced oxygen concentration. Recently it turned out that the Humboldt squid is able to slow down metabolic processes by 80%, sinking into places that are inaccessible to tuna, sailfish, marlin and others that hunt it.
The breeding process is interesting. In males, which are usually smaller than females, one of the tentacles is intended for fertilization. With it, he extracts from the mantle cavity
spermatophores containing sperm and placed in the cavity of the female. After a certain time, the expectant mother lays eggs that are quite large. The nest is built in advance from stones and the rest of the shells. The female vigilantly guards the eggs, and later the hatchlings.
Unfortunately, much of the life of the Humboldt squid remains unknown due to its habitat. Live move it tothe laboratory fails, dies within a few hours. Its migrations to the areas of extraction of marine life cause concern among scientists. Since it breeds quite quickly, it can threaten many game fish populations.
The local population of those countries where these squids are found off the coast are happy to catch them. The meat is delicious, it is found on the shelves of coastal shops. Large quantities are exported to different countries.
