red squid stranded @ t.bemban besar 22May2011

This little squid was stranded in a small puddle on a sandbank just metres away from the vast sea.

It must have been caught off guard as the tide was running out and had to stay put in the puddle to await the return of the rising tide. In the meantime, it faced certain risks such as being discovered by shorebirds such as herons and egrets and also risked being turned into squid soup due to it being a clear blue sky morning with the sun shining with all it's glory.

The birds were probably kept at bay because there were some other nosy bipedal morps walking that section of the exposed submerged reef that morning.

Cute Cute Cephalopod

cute cute squid from BeachBum on Vimeo.

There were a good many squid which started appearing when the tide turned shortly after dusk. They kept close to the cover of sargassum seaweed. The squid adopted various poses for the camera but interestingly enough did not try to propel away in a cloud of ink. This could have been because the animals were waiting for small fish to swim by...fishing.
Watch closely and you will see the chromatophores pulsating. Some parts of the cuttlefish, especially near the eyes seemed to have a iridiscent glow. However, these pencil squids did not exhibit the level skin colour changes like that seen in the octopuses and cuttlefish seen on Singapore's other shores. Those were visibly much more dynamic compared to the display showed by these pencil squids.

time of night : about 7.30pm
depth : about 10 to 15 cm
average length : about 7cm

I did have some confusing moments as to whether to describe the cephalopod as a squid or as a cuttlefish. I initially thought they were cuttlefish but later changed my mind because of the pencil like shape of this particular species. Cuttlefish apparently tend to be broader laterally. Well, they are cephalopods anyway!

Read more about them and other information about cephalopods here :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squid
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/cephalopoda/squid.htm
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/cephalopoda/loliginidae.htm
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/taxa/inverts/mollusca/cephalopoda.php
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/01/0108_040108_squidflashlight.html
http://www.cephbase.utmb.edu/
http://www.weichtiere.at/Mollusks/Kopffuesser/haupt.html


Question : how does one differentiate between a squid and a cuttlefish?
See one answer here http://www.cephbase.utmb.edu/TCP/faq/TCPfaq2b.cfm?ID=5

Another question : why are cuttlefish called cuttlefish?
Click here for the answer!!!