Octopuses use their eight sucker-lined arms to capture their prey and move about on the ocean floor. Squids have eight arms lined with suckers and two specialized tentacles that they use to reach out and capture prey. Octopuses eat bottom-dwelling crustaceans. Squids eat fishes and shrimps. Some deepwater squids may be scavengers.
Octopuses pierce the shells of their prey, injecting poison that causes paralysis.
They then release salivary enzymes, loosening the meat from the inner shell. Squids use their two specialized tentacles to quickly reach out and capture fishes. They tear off bits of flesh and scrape the meat into their mouths with their beaks. Octopuses range in size from 1 cm to more than 5 m in length, while squids range from 1 cm to 20 m. Octopuses and squids can swim in any direction and can alter their course quickly.