External Analysis of a Squid

Before considering the external analysis of a squid, the familiarization of what a squid is important. At this, a squid can be described as one of the many carnivorous marine cephalopod mollusks. They often have mantles, eight arms and a pair of tentacles.

The external analysis of a squid begins with the recognition of its taxonomy.

The squid is from the Kingdom Animalia, the phylum is Mollusca, it’s of the class Cephalopoda, and it belongs to the order of Teuthida, the family of lolinginidae, its genus is loligo and the specie of the squid is brevipenna.

The squid is mollusks, meaning that they also contain more than 100,000 species and are members of invertebrate phylum Mollusca (as already stated above). However, unlike many mollusks with hard outer shells, a squid has a soft outer body and inner shell.

The External Organs of the Squid

In this external analysis of the squid, consideration will be given to the main parts of the squid which are the external organs. The external organs include the 8 arms, the tentacle, and the sucker, the head, the eyes, the siphon or funnel, the mantle, and the fins.

The mantle: the mantle of a squid is the main body of the squid. It is like the flesh of other animals, or the flesh covering the internal anatomy of man. The body of a squid, that is, mantle, covers its internal organs. The mantle is about 2.5 meters long and it is about 982 millimeters wide.

This mantle is made up of its muscle and skin. These are seen in the small pigments which contain the cells. This pigment-containing cells is regarded as chromatophores; it gives the skin the color of the squid; a typical reddish-pink color.

When the squid is under stress, let’s say it’s being caught and still alive, the color of the skin changes to bright red. The squid can also change colors rapidly with the aide of the mantle. This is to camouflage themselves, for attraction with mates and mutual communication.

As written above, the mantle is the main part of the squid.

The fin: this is paired and attached to the upper region of the mantle, it is largely responsible for its muscle. The swimming through water is with the aid of the fin.

The fins also served in the capacity of stabilizing the squid, they performed the functions of propelling the squid in the water. It should be written here that the squid moves slowly in water. However, the fin which slows its speed permits it for quick turns should the need arises.

The funnel or siphon: this is a muscular structure located on the ventral surface of the mantle of the squid. The functions of the funnel include respiratory functions and the discharge of wastes, it also allows the squid to move inside water.

The siphon is relatively a short tube with one opening near the eyes and the other edge is located under the mantle collar. In couple with the above, the siphon propels in squid in the opposite direction when the need arises.

To allow this, the squid permits the entrance of an enormous volume of water through the mantle and afterward, closes the opening. At this, the mantle becomes flexible (remember that it has a soft outer part) and it contracts, the water is released from the body with enough force to propel the squid through the water.

The arms and tentacles of the squid: the squid has 8 short limbs, each of the limbs are laid in two rolls of suction cups on the lower side of the mantle. Just as man lifts a spoon of rice with his hands, the arms hold the food for the squid while the squid bites it until it forms into swallow-able pieces.

The tentacles are two. The long tentacles are exercised at obtaining prey while the toothed suckers near the tip are used to attack.

The arms and tentacles are useful for looking at the suckers with the hand lens, and they’re also used for holding sturdily prey. The division of labor that fashions into the operation of prey is as thus: the squid seizes a prey with its tentacles and it passes it into the arms which hold the prey until it stops struggling.

The eyes of the squid: as it is well-known, the eyes are an essential organ in the body with the function of sight. The squid has 2 large eyes depending on the size of the body of the squid in questions.

The lens of the eyes, unlike that of human beings which is round, is shaped like that of a football. The squid, with its eyes, can distinguish between colors which form the fundamental complete image of anything it is looking at.

The beak and the mouth: the squid as a beak which relates to that of a parrot. The beak on the mouth is used for biting food into small bits for consumption. The beak and the mouth of the squid are surrounded by the foundations of its arms and tentacles.

The beak is located on the web of the arms and tentacles of the squid. It is a small black particle, a dot, which relates to that of a parrot’s. It is a very sharp beak which permits the biting off into pieces whatever prey comes to its way.

The squid’s head: the squid’s head is the small part of the body located between the body and the arms. The head consists of the eyes of the squid, its brain and the muscular buccal mass which it uses to crushes food.

The external part of the squid which has been considered includes the arms which are 8 in number. These arms are used to hold the food or constrain prey still it stops struggling.

The eyes are used for their sight. The tentacle plays a symbiotic relationship with the arms. The siphon is important for its propulsion in water. The mantle is an important part of the squid, it covers its internal organs and serves as the skin.

The fin is also another important part of the squid. The squid is a very intelligent invertebrate although it swims with the relatively slow speed in the water.