The giant squid is a species of deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae. It can grow to a tremendous size, offering an example of abyssal gigantism: recent estimates put the maximum size at around 12–13 m (39–43 ft) for females and 10 m (33 ft) for males, from the posterior fins to the tip of the two long tentacles. The mantle of the giant squid is about 2 m long, and the length of the squid excluding its tentacles rarely exceeds 5 m (16 ft). Claims of specimens measuring 20 m (66 ft) or more have not been scientifically documented.
The Chiroteuthidae are a family of deep-sea squid, generally small to medium in size, rather soft and gelatinous, and slow moving. They are found in most temperate and tropical oceans, but are known primarily from the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Indo-Pacific. The family is represented by approximately 12 species and four subspecies in four genera, two of which are monotypic. They are sometimes known collectively as whip-lash squid, but this common name is also applied to the Mastigoteuthidae, which are sometimes treated as a subfamily (Mastigoteuthinae) of Chiroteuthidae.
Bigfin squids are a group of rarely seen cephalopods with a distinctive morphology. They are placed in the genus Magnapinna and family Magnapinnidae. Although the family was described only from larval, paralarval, and juvenile specimens, numerous video observations of much larger squid with similar morphology are assumed to be adult specimens of the same family.
Cameroceras is a genus of extinct, large orthoconic cephalopod that lived mainly during the Ordovician period. It first appears during the middle Ordovician, around 470 million years ago, and was a fairly common component of the fauna in some places during the period, inhabiting the shallow seas of Laurentia, Baltica and Siberia. Its diversity and abundance became severely reduced following the Ordovician–Silurian extinction events, and the last remnants of the genus went extinct sometime during the Wenlock. C. rowenaense from Cincinnati had a shell length about 70 centimetres (2.3 ft), and unnamed species had length about 1 metre (3.3 ft). Although in older literature Cameroceras was treated as the largest nautiloid with shell length about 6 metres (20 ft) or even 30 feet (9.1 m), later study shows that the large-sized species no longer belongs to genus Cameroceras but Endoceras giganteum instead, and the 30 feet (9.1 m)-long specimen is highly doubtful.
Taningia danae, the Dana octopus squid, is a species of squid in the family Octopoteuthidae. It is one of the largest known squid species, reaching a mantle length of 1.7 m (5.6 ft) and total length of 2.3 m (7.5 ft). The largest known specimen, a mature female, weighed 161.4 kg (356 lb).
A. aldrichi is a small species of squid found in northern Australian waters. The species was described by Chung Cheng Lu in 2005 based on specimens collected in the inshore waters of Northern Australia. The largest known individual of this species is a mature female measuring 27.6 mm (1.09 in) in mantle length (ML). The holotype is a mature male of 21.3 mm (0.84 in) ML. A live specimen of A. aldrichi has yet to be recorded. A. aldrichi is a member of the class Cephalopoda and part of the subclass Coleodia. Within this class there are two orders, the Myopsida and Oegopsida, which both fall under the superorder Decapodiformes. A. aldrichi falls under the order of Myospida, and is the only member of its genus, Australiteuthis, and family, Australiteuthidae.
Cephalopods, which include squids and octopuses, vary enormously in size. The smallest are only about 1 centimetre (0.39 in) long and weigh less than 1 gram (0.035 oz) at maturity, while the largest—the giant and colossal squids—can exceed 10 metres (33 ft) in length and weigh close to half a tonne (1,100 lb), making them the largest living invertebrates. Living species range in mass more than three-billion-fold, or across nine orders of magnitude, from the lightest hatchlings to the heaviest adults. Certain cephalopod species are also noted for having individual body parts of exceptional size. The giant and colossal squids, for example, have the largest known eyes among living animals.
The pharaoh cuttlefish is a large cuttlefish species, growing to 42 cm in mantle length and 5 kg in weight. It is also known as seiche pharaon.
Rossia moelleri is a species of bobtail squid native to the northern Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean, eastward to the Laptev Sea and westward to Amundsen Bay. It occurs off western and northeastern Greenland, northeastern Canada, Labrador, Spitsbergen, Jan Mayen, and in the Kara Sea. R. moelleri lives at depths from 17 to 250 m.
Rossia mollicella is a species of bobtail squid native to the western Pacific Ocean, south from Sendai Bay, Japan. It occurs on the outer continental shelf and in the upper bathyal zone. R. mollicella lives at depths from 729 to 805 m.
Idiosepius thailandicus, also known as the thai pygmy squid, is a species of bobtail squid native to the Indo-Pacific waters off Thailand. The extent of this species' distribution is still to be determined and records of Idiosepius dwarf squid away from Thailand, south to Indonesia and north to Japan, may be attributable to this species.
Moroteuthopsis longimana, also known as the giant warty squid or longarm octopus squid, is a large species of hooked squid. It attains a mantle length of at least 85 cm and probably over 1.15 m. The largest complete specimen of this species, measuring 2.3 m in total length, was found in Antarctica in 2000.
Asperoteuthis mangoldae, previously known as Asperoteuthis sp. A, is a chiroteuthid squid known only from the waters off the Hawaiian Islands. It differs from the closely related Asperoteuthis acanthoderma in lacking integumental tubercles and elongate fins. This species also possesses a characteristic curved groove in its funnel locking apparatus.
Asperoteuthis is a genus of chiroteuthid squid comprising four species:
All cephalopods possess flexible limbs extending from their heads and surrounding their beaks. These appendages, which function as muscular hydrostats, have been variously termed arms, legs or tentacles.
Asperoteuthis lui is a chiroteuthid squid of the genus Asperoteuthis. This species was discovered from the stomach contents of a ling, a species of fish. The damaged specimen did not include a funnel or a mantle, but had multiple arms, one tentacle, and eyes. It was initially identified as a species of giant squid of the genus Architeuthis.
Sepioteuthis lessoniana, commonly known as the bigfin reef squid, glitter squid or oval squid, is a species of loliginid squid. It is one of the three currently recognized species belonging to the genus Sepioteuthis. Studies in 1993, however, have indicated that bigfin reef squids may comprise a cryptic species complex. The species is likely to include several very similar and closely related species.
Cephalopods exhibit various dermal structures on their mantles and other parts. These may take the form of conspicuous warts, cushions, papillae or scales, though in many species they are microscopic tubercles. The most elaborate forms are found among the oceanic squid of the order Teuthida.
