Brief Squid
Lolliguncula brevis
Brief squid have large eyes and several arm-like tentacles extending from the head. (Wikimedia Commons)
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
The brief squid grows to five inches in length. Its elongated body is covered in dark, pigment-filled spots that contract and expand to change the squid's color. It has large eyes and several arm-like tentacles that extend from its head.
Feeding
The brief squid eats bottom-dwelling crustaceans, small fish and fish larvae.
Predators
When threated, squid shoot themselves backward with lightning speed. They may also emit an ink cloud to distract predators.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Females lay gelatinous, yolky egg masses. Eggs hatch into tiny, fully formed young squid.
Did You Know?
- 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
- Life in the Chesapeake Bay by Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson
- Invertebrate Academy Online: Lolliguncula brevis – Lander University
Quick Facts
Species
Native
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Size
5 inches in length -
Habitat
Warm, shallow waters. Moves through open waters by ejecting jets of water to propel itself forward or backward. Lives in schools.
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Range
Found throughout the lower Chesapeake Bay, as far north as Tangier Sound.
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Diet
Feeds on bottom-dwelling crustaceans, small fish and fish larvae -
Status
Stable
