Below are dissections pictures of a Humboldt Squid (Dosidicus gigas) donated from the Hopkins Marine Station and Market Squid (Loligo opalescens).
Have you ever ate calamari steak? If so, you're taking a bite out of the mantel of a Humboldt Squid!
Opening the Mantel - the main exterior organ that contains almost all of the squid's internal organs. The head, which is connected to the tentacles, also contains a small brain shaped like a donut. What travels through the donut-shaped brain is the esophagus! Squid are part of the Class Cephalopoda, thus having a head connected to the tentacles or "foot" is actually the main characteristic of organisms in this Class. The Greek meaning of Cephalopod is actually "head-foot"!
In the small clear container is the eye. We dissected the compound eye, which is actually similar in structure and function to our eyes, to locate the lens. The lens was shaped like a translucent marble.
The two lobes hanging off from the main digestive organ are the gills. Did you know that the gills themselves each have a heart associated with them? That means that squid have 3 hearts instead of just one! The main heart is called the systemic heart and the gill hearts are called branchial hearts. Having more than one heart helps the squid move incredibly fast throughout the water column.
Removing the beak and buccal mass. Similar to octopi, squid also have a sharp beak in which they use to capture their prey.
The Market Squid on the right is a female and the one on the left is a male. How do we know? Check out the gooey substance at the very top of the mantel in the female squid (pointed tip-end of the squid). That's a large ovary!
