Tentacritters

Pair of squids

European Squid in deep water

Broadclub Cuttlefish hypnotising its prey.

Jellyfish, genus Catostylus

Juvenile European Squid, likely just hatched

Caribbean Reef Squids Mating

Sepioteuthis sepioidea

Imagine the idea of remaining celibate your entire existence right until the last day of your life where you engage in a massive orgy of sorts. Intrigueing? The carribean reef squid(Sepioteuthis sepioidea)does just that! A torpedo-shaped squid that averages in length at about 20cm, belongs to the Cephalopod family and can be found in the shallow reefs of the carribean sea in schools of 4-30. If you think this is going to be just another boring entry extolling the biological traits of this cephalopod– think again! One of the most interesting aspects about this squid is that, like other cephalopods, its is semelparous. Semelparous organisms reproduce only once in their lifetime, thus explaining the title of this entry you are reading. The crux of this entry, will thus focus on the mating ritual of the carribean reef squid.For the most part of their lifespan, the Sepioteuthis sepioidea are perfectly content having no sex at all, swimming around in schools in the day and hunting alone for food at night, consuming up to 60% of their body mass with their voracious appetites. However, this all changes as they approach the last weeks of their lifespan, and their voracious appetite for food translates into an overwhelming sex drive. During mating season, these squids are known to mate for hours at a time, and their mating ritual precedes a courtship process, which can be a very interesting sight indeed. During the courtship ritual the Sepioteuthis sepioidea change their colouration, shape and texture via nervous control of  their chromatophores. Males do this to enhance their attractiveness to the opposite sex whereas females do so to indicate their interest.

Greater blue-ringed octopus

Hapalochlaena lunulata