Squid Dissection Lab

How many arms do squid have?

8

How many tentacles do squid have?

2

How many eyes do a squid have?

2

How many hearts do a squid have?

3

Squid breathe using ____________.

gills

How do squid move?

By squirting water from the mantle through the siphon, using a movement type called jet propulsion.

How can squid move forward and backward?

By just changing the direction of the water flow through the siphon.

Squid can change the color of their skin to __________________ and ______________________.

mimic their environment

hide from predators

When in danger, squid release a cloud of dark ink from their ____________ in order to confuse their attacker and allow the squid to escape.

ink sac

How do they catch their prey?

with their 2 feeding tentacles, then hold the prey with the eight arms and bite it into small pieces using a parrot-like beak

The ___________ runs through the brain, so the food must be in small pieces before swallowing.

esophagus

Squid reproduce _____________ by releasing eggs into the water.

sexually

fin

used as stabilizers & to propel the squid

chromatophores

used as camoflauge, match brightness of background

eye

to see and catch prey, watch for predatators, and see each other

arms and tentacles

prey capture and manipulation, behavioral displays, locomotion, stabilization, and reproduction

suction cups

better grasp their prey

pen

site of attachment for important muscle groups and protective barrier for visceral organs

mantle

protect its internal organs

gonad

for reproduction

heart

pumps blood into gills, where oxygen is taken up

gills

used to take dissolved oxygen from the water in which it lives

ink sac

used to expel a cloud of dark ink in order to confuse predators

siphon

propels the squid through the water in the opposite direction to which the siphon is pointing

Based on the structure of the arms and tentacles, describe how their purposes differ

Tentacles have suction cups while the arms do not.

The arms are for movement, while the tentacles are for capturing prey.