Kingdom Animale | Phylum Mollusca | Class Cephalopoda |
Squids Family Loliginidae Depicted are the egg cases and newly hatched juveniles of an unidentified squid species. Squids and cuttlefish (of the "sotong" fame) (F. Sepiidae) have 8 relatively short and 2. long tentacular arms. They have internal skeletonsthe remains of their shells. Those in squids are thin and pencil-like whereas those in cuttlefish are large, flat and like a surfboard. These are sometimes washed ashore. As a protective device, all cephalopods (including the octopus), which literally means "head-feet", are able to produce an ink cloud to confuse would-be predators (e.g., rnoray eels). All are edible. They communicate by changing their body colour and pattern. Most are fish hunters. |
Introduction Shore environment |
From A Guide to Seashore Life by Dr Leo W H Tan and Peter K L Ng Published by the Singapore Science Centre and sponsored by BP @Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research and Singapore Science Centre |