Brief Squid
Lolliguncula brevis
The brief squid is a small, free-swimming mollusk with a soft body and arm-like tentacles. (NOAA Photo Library)
The brief squid is a small, free-swimming mollusk with a soft body and arm-like tentacles. It lives throughout the lower Chesapeake Bay.
Appearance:
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Elongated body
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Several arm-like tentacles extending from the head
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Large eyes
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Dark, pigment-filled spots on the body that contract and expand to change the squid’s color
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Grows to 5 inches long
Habitat:
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Moves through open waters by ejecting jets of water to propel itself forward or backward
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Lives in schools
Range:
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Found throughout the lower Chesapeake Bay, as far north as Tangier Sound
Feeding:
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Eats bottom-dwelling crustaceans, small fish and fish larvae
Predators:
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When threated, squid shoot themselves backward with lightning speed. They may also emit an ink cloud to distract predators.
Reproduction and Life Cycle:
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Females lay gelatinous, yolky egg masses
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Eggs hatch into tiny, fully formed young squid
Other Facts:
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The brief squid is the only cephalopod in the Chesapeake Bay. Cephalopods (a word that means “head-foot”) are a type of mollusk with an internal shell that helps support the animal’s soft body.
Sources and Additional Information:
