Squid Hatchlings Soon Ready for Display at Shell Museum | Sanibel-Captiva
Hummingbird bobtail squid (Euprymna berryi) hatchling next to a paperclip for scale. Credit: Tim Briggs
The MBL Cephalopod Program provided the squid eggs to this Florida museum.
In early July, 10 hummingbird bobtail squid (Euprymna berryi) arrived at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel from Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, along with a clutch of viable eggs. While the adult squid went directly on exhibit, the clutch of eggs stayed in quarantine and, 16 days after their arrival, they began to hatch. Now, two months later, the young squid are about the size of a pea. The tiny compact cephalopods have eight arms, two tentacles and large eyes. Their background color appears translucent, with several tiny chromatophores distributed over the entire body. Read more of the article here...