14 Facts About Humboldt squid

Humboldt squid, known as jumbo squid or jumbo flying squid, and Pota in Peru or Jibia in Chile is a large, predatory squid living in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

The name Humboldt squid refers to the Humboldt squid Current, off the southwestern coast of South America, where it was first collected.

Electronic tagging has shown Humboldt squid undergo diel vertical migrations, which bring them closer to the surface from dusk to dawn.

Crittercams attached to two or three Humboldt squid revealed the species has two modes of colour-generating behaviour:.

Recently, the Humboldt squid have been appearing farther north, as far as British Columbia.

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Humboldt squid are generally found in the warm Pacific waters off the Mexican coast; studies published in the early 2000s indicated an increase in northern migration.

The Humboldt squid uses its barbed tentacle suckers to grab its prey and slices and tears the victim's flesh with its beak and radula.

Each of the Humboldt squid's suckers is ringed with sharp teeth, and the beak can tear flesh, although they are believed to lack the jaw strength to crack heavy bone.

An investigation of the stomach contents of over 2,000 Humboldt squid caught outside of the Exclusive Economic Zone off the coasts of Chile found that cannibalism was likely the most important source of food.

In Peru, the practice of making ceviche from cheap Humboldt squid began in the poorer parts of Lima when the meat became available in the 1990s, and has since spread to Cuzco.

Research suggests these Humboldt squid are aggressive only while feeding; at other times, they are quite passive.

The remarkable size of the squid giant axon and squid giant synapse possessed by the Humboldt squid made it ideal for manipulative work in the laboratory.

Humboldt squid was featured in the final episode of the 2009 BBC's Last Chance to See with Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine.

The episode was about blue whales, but the presenters interviewed fishermen who talked about the exploding diablo rojo population in the Sea of Cortez and human attacks, and showed a Humboldt squid trying to take a bite of a protectively clad forearm.