 (Courtesy of Jerry Prezioso) |
Long-finned Squid (Loligo pealei) These mollusks are white or translucent gray with tiny red, purple, and yellow speckles on their tube shaped body (mantle). A transparent membrane covers the eyes. They have four pairs of arms and one long pair of tentacles with suckers on them to grab prey such as shrimp, fish and crustaceans. They may reach 2' (60 cm) long, but are usually less than 1' (30cm). Squid swim backwards using jet propulsion by squirting water out of their bodies through a tube near the base of their head. They expel a cloud of black ink when disturbed. They lay their egg cases in a massive cluster, with gelatinous capsules containing about 200 eggs in each one. These squid are present inshore during early spring and summer, and offshore late autumn and winter. They are found in the water column throughout the Bay. |