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Story: Octopus and squid

The hooks of a male scaled squid

The hooks of a male scaled squid

Male scaled squid (Lepidoteuthis grimaldii) have a pair of suckers with a saber-like hook. It is thought that the male stabs these into the much larger female during mating, to retain his grip.

About this item

Private collection
Photograph by George Jackson

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How to cite this page:

Maggy Wassilieff and Steve O’Shea. 'Octopus and squid', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 2-Mar-09
URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/octopus-and-squid/2/1