Squids Or Cuttlefish: What’s The Difference?
Although both animals are mollusks that look similar in many ways, there are several differences between cuttlefish and squids. In today’s article, you will learn more about squid and cuttlefish so that you can tell them apart in the future.
Squids: Important Characteristics
Squids are cephalopod mollusks that make up the order Teuthida. In this order there are two suborders, Oegopsina and Myopsina , which encompass the different species of squid that we know today.
The suborder Oegopsina consists of several families of different species, including the famous giant squid. There is also the suborder Myopsina , called Loliginidae .
Squids are carnivorous and marine invertebrates that are related to sepia, octopus, and nautilus. Anatomically , they are characterized by two main tentacles and eight arms.
Other characteristics of squids
The squid’s tentacles are muscular and have strong suckers. Some species like the giant squid can even grow their tentacles back. This is very helpful in the event of an injury. Sometimes they also purposely loosen their tentacles to escape a predator.
Another typical feature of squids is their special circulatory system. Two branch hearts and a systematic heart make up this system. The ramified hearts pump blood to the two gills and the systematic heart pumps blood to the rest of the body. In addition, squids have two gills so that they can breathe in aquatic ecosystems.
Squids and their camouflage ability
Squids have special cells called chromatophores on their skin. These contain pigments and can reflect light.
But these cells not only add color to the skin, but also allow the animal to change its color easily. This allows the squid to camouflage itself in its surroundings. In addition to this defensive strategy, they can also expel ink to thereby confuse predators. This gives them time to escape.
The high concentration of chromatophores also explains why squids are generally very conspicuous in color. In fact, there is a wide variety of colors and patterns in the different types.
General characteristics of cuttlefish
Sepias are also cephalopods mollusks, but belong to the order of the Sepiida. There are more than 100 species in this order.
Sepia are medium-sized mollusks and can grow up to 40 centimeters long in adulthood. They also have oval bodies that appear slightly flattened.
However, one of the most interesting features is the 10 irregular tentacles that are concentrated around the mouth opening. Of the five pairs of tentacles, five are shorter and each have two rows of small suction cups.
The longest pair of tentacles can be retracted and is usually three times the size of the other tentacles. There are several irregular suction cups at the ends of these longer tentacles. These long tentacles are essential for the cuttlefish to catch prey. In addition, they are fundamental to reproduction.
Squids and Cuttlefish: Similarities and Differences
Now that you know a little more about cuttlefish and squids, let’s delve into the similarities and differences that exist between them. However, the similarities between these species are by no means coincidental. Since they are genetically similar, this leads to similarities in their anatomy and physiology.
However, there are also some differences, such as their appearance. While cuttlefish have an oval body and appear slightly flattened, squid are more elongated and cylindrical.
Another difference is in terms of their size. Cuttlefish can measure up to 40 centimeters, while squids are typically around 60 centimeters long. There are also some species of squid, such as the giant squid, that can reach a length of more than 15 meters.
It is also interesting that squids have two tentacles and eight arms with suction cups. On the other hand, cuttlefish have 10 tentacles near their mouth opening that are noticeably smaller than those of squids.
Another important difference between squids and cuttlefish is the shape of their inner shells. A squid is thin, flat, transparent, and made of cartilage. They also appear to be in the shape of a feather.
In contrast , the inner shell of a sepia is spoon-shaped. Most of the shell is made of calcium carbonate, which gives it a white color. This is another notable difference between the two types.
