Discover the Chesapeake Field Guide Invertebrates Brief Squid

Brief Squid

Lolliguncula brevis

Quick Facts

  • Species

    Native

  • Habitat

    Warm, shallow waters. Moves through open waters by ejecting jets of water to propel itself forward or backward. Lives in schools.

  • Range

    Found throughout the lower Chesapeake Bay, as far north as Tangier Sound.

  • Diet

    Feeds on bottom-dwelling crustaceans, small fish and fish larvae

  • Status

    Stable

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

Quick Facts

  • Species

    Native

  • Habitat

    Warm, shallow waters. Moves through open waters by ejecting jets of water to propel itself forward or backward. Lives in schools.

  • Range

    Found throughout the lower Chesapeake Bay, as far north as Tangier Sound.

  • Diet

    Feeds on bottom-dwelling crustaceans, small fish and fish larvae

  • Status

    Stable