Octopoteuthis deletron

Octopoteuthis deletron is a species of squid in the genus Octopoteuthis of the family Octopoteuthidae. They belong to the pelagic squids of order Oegopsida. Found at depths of 400 to 800 m (1,300 to 2,600 ft) in the Pacific Ocean, they have been known to grow to 24 cm (9.4 in).

Octopoteuthis deletron
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Oegopsida
Family: Octopoteuthidae
Genus: Octopoteuthis
Species:
O. deletron
Binomial name
Octopoteuthis deletron
Young, 1972[2]

O. deletron has been found to break off its arms as a defense strategy. The squid digs hooks in one of its arms into a predator and jets away, leaving the arm in the predator's skin.[3]

The male O. deletron has a penis, which is unusual among squids. Males find it difficult to detect the sex of other individuals they encounter in the dark depths, so they have adopted a strategy of attaching sperm packets to all individuals they meet.[4]

O. deletron are the most common species found in the stomachs of northern elephant seals sampled off the coast of California.[5] It is an important prey item of the giant grenadier.[6] It is also eaten by the enigmatic Perrin's beaked whale (Mesoplodon perrini).[3]

References
  1. Barratt, I. & Allcock, L. (2014). "Octopoteuthis deletron". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T163334A999352. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T163334A999352.en. Downloaded on 10 March 2018.
  2. Julian Finn (2016). "Octopoteuthis deletron Young, 1972". World Register of Marine Species. Flanders Marine Institute. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  3. Stromberg, Michael. "This Deep-Sea Squid Breaks Off Its Own Arms to Confuse Predators". Smithsonian.com. With video. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  4. Gorman, James (21 September 2011), "Amorous Squid Seeks Partner: Any Sex Will Do", The New York Times, New York, p. A1
  5. Le Beouf, Burney J.; Richard M. Laws (1994). Elephant Seals: Population ecology, behavior, and physiology. University of California Press. pp. 213–214. ISBN 978-0-520-08364-6.
  6. Drazen, Jeffrey C; Buckley, Troy W; Hoff, Gerald R (2001). "The feeding habits of slope dwelling macrourid fishes in the eastern North Pacific". Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 48 (3): 909–935. doi:10.1016/S0967-0637(00)00058-3.


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