Humboldt squid - the mysterious giant sea depths

Humboldt squid is a cephalopod mollusk belonging to the family Ommastrephidae. Predominantly lives in the part of the Pacific Ocean where the Peruvian current passes, at depths of 0.2–0.7 km.

Its dimensions are impressive, the length can reach to2 m, and weight up to 50 kg. The body consists of a head, legs and 10 tentacles. There is no outer shell. The lower part of the leg is modified to the funnel necessary for movement. The rest is represented by the mantle cavity with internal organs. Tentacles coming from the legs and surrounding the mouth are equipped with suckers. Two hunters, they are longer. The remaining 8, sometimes called hands, serve to hold the victim.

Difficult vision has a humboldt squid.The photos presented in the article show large eyes well. From the senses, sense of touch is developed, there are taste cells. Chromatophores are inherent in most cephalopods. In an instant, body color can change from cream gray to red and back.

Sea squid has bioluminescence,consisting in the ability to glow lower body. This feature helps to hunt and confuse predators. In the mating season, it is used to attract attention.

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, the base of which is iron ions).

Humboldt squid is not a loner.Lifestyle leads pack, sometimes such a company exceeds 1000 individuals. They feed on fish, crabs, and sometimes their relatives. Described cases of attacks on people. In the satiated state passive, occasionally curious.

Movement with the discharge of water in the oppositedirection is energy costly. For a long time, it remained unclear how he, while diving, passes through areas of ocean water with a reduced concentration of oxygen. Recently it turned out that the Humboldt squid is able to slow down the metabolic processes by 80%, falling into places inaccessible to the tuna, sailing vessels, marlin, etc., that hunt it.

An interesting breeding process. In males, which are usually smaller than females, one of the tentacles is intended for fertilization. He extracts them from the mantle cavity

spermatophores containing sperm and puts infemale cavity. After a certain time, the expectant mother lays eggs that are quite large. The nest is built in advance of stones and the rest of the shells. The female vigilantly guards the eggs, and later - the young.

Unfortunately, much of the life of Humboldt squidremains unknown because of its habitat. It is not possible to move it to the laboratory in the living state, it dies within a few hours. His migrations to the mining areas of marine inhabitants are of concern to scientists. As it breeds fairly quickly, it can threaten many commercial fish populations.

The local population of countries where the coastthese squids are found, happy to catch them. The meat is delicious, it is found on the shelves of coastal shops. In large quantities exported to different countries.