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Caribbean Reef Squid Research Paper

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The Caribbean Reef Squid, Sepioteuthis Sepioidea, is one of the most exotic and alienated creatures in the ocean. Being one of the most intelligent invertebrates, they only get to about 12-20cm in length and have torpedo-shaped bodies with 10 tentacles “fixed to its head”, and are arranged in a circle around its mouth. The Reef squid is fairly common, especially around Florida, Bermuda, South America, and the Bahamas, and travel in schools (4-30) and aren’t scared of divers, if not curious about them. Squids are abundant in all oceans around the world, but the Caribbean Reef Squid lives from 2m below water to the deep depths of the ocean. The Reef squid has 10 tentacles; 8 around its mouth for feeding, and 2 long club-like tentacles for grasping …show more content…

However males can fertilize multiple females before dying. Females lay seven to eight eggs within a capsule and deposit such capsules on the substrate. Egg capsules are common among other squid and resemble pods of plants; the amount of eggs present in each capsule is usually more abundant in other species of squid. After hatching from the capsules, the juveniles reach maturity in approximately 6 months. The female finds a mate by picking the largest male, then the male swims around the female until she accepts him. The male attaches a sticky patch of sperm to female’s body, later the female takes the packet and places it into her semnal receptacle, then dies. When a reef squid is in danger, it squirts out ink to distract the enemy then jets away. The Caribbean Reef squid mostly resembles the Cuttle Fish; they’re usually green or brown while the ventral is camouflage. For camouflage and for surprisingly complex communication Reef Squid can rapidly change skin color and pattern by sending nerve pulses to receptors called chromatophores. For example, if a female squid were alarmed by a male squid attempting to mate, the female squid would change to a different color, while the male squid would jet water towards her to try to calm

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