Ram's Horn Squid [Spirula spirula]
Description
The Ram's Horn Squid, scientifically known as Spirula spirula, is a small, deep-sea squid species. It is the only known living member of the genus Spirula. This species is unique in that it possesses a small, internal, chambered shell, the last remnant of the once massive shells that octopuses and other cephalopods had in ancient times. It's called the 'Ram's Horn' due to this shell's spiral shape. The squid itself is pink and quite small, with a maximum recorded mantle length of 45 mm. They possess ten arms, two of which are elongated tentacles. Spirula spirula is known to inhabit the mesopelagic to bathypelagic zones of the world's oceans, from 200 to 2000 meters deep, though their buoyant egg clusters are often found at the surface. They are nocturnal and tend to rise closer to the surface during the night to hunt.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Mollusks
Mollusca
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Squids, Octopuses, and Cuttlefish
Cephalopoda
|
| Order |
Ram's Horn Squids
Spirulida
|
| Family |
Ram's Horn Squids
Spirulidae
|
| Genus |
Ram's Horn Squid
Spirula
|