Brief Squid
Lolliguncula brevis

The brief squid is a small, free-swimming mollusk with a soft body and arm-like tentacles. It lives throughout the lower Chesapeake Bay.

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Brief squid have large eyes and several arm-like tentacles extending from the head. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Appearance

The brief squid grows to five inches in length. Its elongated body is covered in dark, pigment-filled spots that contract and expand to change the squid's color. It has large eyes and several arm-like tentacles that extend from its head.

Feeding

The brief squid eats bottom-dwelling crustaceans, small fish and fish larvae.

Predators

When threated, squid shoot themselves backward with lightning speed. They may also emit an ink cloud to distract predators.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Females lay gelatinous, yolky egg masses. Eggs hatch into tiny, fully formed young squid.

Did You Know?

  • The brief squid is the only cephalopod in the Chesapeake Bay. Cephalopods (a word that means “head-foot”) are a type of mollusk with an internal shell that helps support the animal’s soft body.

Sources and Additional Information

Tags:
Invertebrates Mollusks Open & Shallow Waters