| Octopoteuthis deletron | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Subclass: | Coleoidea |
| Order: | Teuthida |
| Suborder: | Oegopsina |
| Family: | Octopoteuthidae |
| Genus: | Octopoteuthis |
| Species: | O. deletron |
| Binomial name | |
| Octopoteuthis deletron Young, 1972 |
|
Octopoteuthis deletron is a species of squid in the genus Octopoteuthis. Found at depths of 400 to 800 m in the Pacific Ocean, they grow to at least 24 cm. Males find it difficult to detect the gender of other individuals they encounter in the dark depths, so they have adopted a strategy of attaching sperm packets to all individuals they meet.[1]
O. deletron are the most common species found in the stomachs of northern elephant seals sampled off the coast of California.[2] It is an important prey item of the giant grenadier.[3]