Humboldt squid
The Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas), also known as the jumbo squid or jumbo flying squid, is a large predatory cephalopod in the family Ommastrephidae, endemic to the eastern Pacific Ocean and recognized for its aggressive pack-hunting behavior and rapid growth to impressive sizes.[1][2] Adults typically reach mantle lengths of 50–80 cm, with maximum recorded sizes exceeding 1.5 m in mantle length, total lengths up to 2.5 m, and weights around 50 kg, featuring a robust, cone-shaped body with two triangular fins, eight arms, two longer tentacles armed with swiveling hooks, and a powerful chitinous beak for tearing prey.[3][1][4] Named after the nutrient-rich Humboldt Current that supports its habitat, this species plays a key ecological role as both a voracious mid-trophic predator and prey for larger marine animals, while also supporting major commercial fisheries in regions like Peru and Chile.[5][6] Distributed across the eastern Pacific from approximately 40°N (off northern California) to 50°S (off southern Chile), D. gigas centers its range in the warm equatorial waters between 5°N and 5°S, often inhabiting both oceanic and neritic environments influenced by upwelling systems that enhance productivity.[7][8][9] It occupies a wide bathymetric range, typically from the surface to depths of 200–700 m during the day and shallower waters at night, migrating vertically and horizontally in response to environmental factors like temperature (preferring 15–25°C) and prey availability.[10][6] Climate variability, including El Niño events and warming trends, has driven notable range expansions northward since the early 2000s, allowing populations to establish in subtropical and temperate waters off the U.S. West Coast, potentially altering local food webs by outcompeting native species.[8][9][11] Ecologically versatile, Humboldt squid are semelparous, completing their life cycle in 1–2 years with high fecundity (females producing up to 20 million eggs), external fertilization, and hatching as paralarvae that drift with ocean currents before maturing rapidly.[12] Their diet is opportunistic and diverse, consisting mainly of mesopelagic fishes like lanternfish (myctophids), crustaceans, and smaller cephalopods, supplemented regionally by species such as Pacific hake and rockfish; they frequently engage in cannibalism, especially during dense aggregations.[13][14] As predators, they hunt in coordinated shoals of hundreds or thousands, using jet propulsion for bursts up to 24 km/h, rapid skin color changes via chromatophores for camouflage and signaling, and bioluminescence for communication in low-light depths, earning them the nickname "red devils" due to their reddish coloration and reputed boldness toward humans during feeding frenzies.[15][5] In turn, they serve as prey for apex predators including swordfish, sharks (e.g., blue and mako), and marine mammals like dolphins and sperm whales, linking lower trophic levels to top carnivores in dynamic pelagic ecosystems.[16][1]Taxonomy and nomenclature
Scientific classification
The Humboldt squid, scientifically known as Dosidicus gigas (d'Orbigny, 1835), belongs to the family Ommastrephidae, commonly referred to as flying squids due to their ability to glide above the water surface.[17] This species is classified within the order Oegopsida, class Cephalopoda, phylum Mollusca, and kingdom Animalia, placing it among the oceanic squids characterized by large eyes and photophores.[17] The genus Dosidicus was established by Steenstrup in 1857, with D. gigas as the type species, originally described as Loligo gigas by d'Orbigny based on specimens from the Peruvian coast.[18]| Taxonomic Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia[17] |
| Phylum | Mollusca[17] |
| Class | Cephalopoda[17] |
| Subclass | Coleoidea[17] |
| Superorder | Decapodiformes[17] |
| Order | Oegopsida[17] |
| Family | Ommastrephidae[17] |
| Subfamily | Ommastrephinae[19] |
| Genus | Dosidicus Steenstrup, 1857[18] |
| Species | D. gigas (d'Orbigny, 1835)[17] |