#bobtail squid

[samimarkart]

bobtail squid 💫

[amnhnyc]

Cephalopod lovers, meet a squid that’s as cute as its name: the dumpling squid (Euprymna tasmanica)! Also known as the southern bobtail squid, this cephalopod inhabits shallow waters off the coast of southern Australia. It’s an ambush predator and uses mucus glands in its skin to coat itself in sand, where it then lies in wait for prey, like shrimp and small fish. Dumplings must learn to hunt fast: Because males of this species die shortly after mating and females die soon after laying eggs, newborn squid need to fend for themselves. These precocious hatchlings can snag prey twice their size!

Photo: Rachel Price, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

[king-incarnadine]

Dictionary Sketch, "Wander"

feat. the Bobtail Squid; see also "Baby Girl"

[herpsandbirds]

Even the cutest of creatures can wake up on the wrong side of the bed!

This grouchy-looking bobtail squid was found during our Northeast U.S. Canyons expedition in 2013. Cephalopod expert Michael Vecchione shared this information about bobtail squids (order Sepiolida) back in 2018: “Because of their rounded bodies, sepiolids are generally known as ‘bobtail squids.’ Although called squids, bobtails have long been considered to be modified cuttlefishes that have lost the internal shell (cuttlebone). However, recent evidence from DNA sequencing indicates that they are not closely related to either squids or cuttlefishes, although they are in the broad group of 10-armed cephalopods.”

via: NOAA Ocean Exploration

[daily-cephalopod]

Today's cephalopod is shiny!!!!!!

[cartooningsss]

[pikaole]

Bobtail squid

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[critter-creature-or-beast]

This is a...

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Voting ended onDec 31, 2025

By Sara Thiebaud, CC-BY-NC