Greater Hooked Squid
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| Greater Hooked Squid | ||||||||||||||||||
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 Moroteuthis ingens (~400 mm ML)
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| Moroteuthis ingens Smith, 1881 |
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The Greater Hooked Squid (Moroteuthis ingens) is a species of squid in the family Onychoteuthidae.
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[edit] Size and growth
The size of a fully grown Greater Hooked Squid, inclusive of tentacles, is currently unknown. Many estimates, however, predict that the mantle may reach lengths of up to 94 cm (37 in). Research has found that egg sizes of the squid average 2.1 mm inside mature females, while juveniles average 4.6 mm or larger. Juveniles are presumed to live near the surface, until they reach a mantle length of approximately 200 mm, at which time they relocate to deeper water, and larger prey. Greater Hooked Squid exhibit sexual dimorphism, with females growing linearly twice as fast as males, and reaching a fully mature size of more than five times that of male counterparts.[1]
[edit] Ecology
It is generally accepted that there are large dietary variations between large and small Greater Hooked Squid. One of the most common findings is that juvenile squid (>200 mm ML) consume a greater percentage of crustaceans and cephalopods compared to their size than mature squid, which consume a large percentage of fish and virtually no crustaceans.[2] Globally, however, myctophid fish (lantern fish) are seen as common prey.[3] Larger squid are known to practice cannabilism (accounting for up to 6% of diet).[4] The Greater Hooked Squid, as with many (if not all) large squid, has a number of predators. These include the patagonian toothfish, king penguin, wandering albatross, pilot whale, bottlenose whale, dwarf sperm whale, sperm whale, and other types of squid.[5] The Greater Hooked Squid has also been observed to engage in cannibalistic behaviour, as aforementioned.
 Tentacular club of Moroteuthis ingens |
 Piece of ventral mantle skin |
 Gladius with cross-sections |
[edit] References
- ^ Bolstad, K. 2003. Spotlight on: Moroteuthis ingens. The Octopus News Magazine Online.
- ^ Phillips, K., P. Nichols & G. Jackson 2003. Size-related dietary changes observed in the squid Moroteuthis ingens at the Falkland Islands: stomach contents and fatty-acid analyses. Polar Biology 26(7): 474-485.
- ^ Phillips, K., P. Nichols & G. Jackson 2003. Dietary variation of the squid Moroteuthis ingens at four sites in the Southern Ocean: stomach contents, lipid and fatty acid profiles. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK 83: 523-534.
- ^ Cherel, Y. & G. Duhamel 2003. Diet of the squid Moroteuthis ingens (Teuthoidea: Onychoteuthidae) in the upper slope waters of the Kerguelen Islands. Marine Ecology Progress Series 250: 197–203.
- ^ CephBase: Predators of Moroteuthis ingens.
[edit] External links
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