Like its close relative, the octopus, a squid has eight arms. But unlike the octopus, it has two longer appendages known as tentacles. The squid's eight arms have suckers along their entire length, but its tentacles have suckers only at the ends where they widen to form structures known as clubs. The tentacles can shoot out rapidly to capture prey, grasping it between the clubs, as you might clap your hands together in front of you to kill a mosquito. The squid then pulls the prey to the arms where it is held and drawn towards the mouth.
Squids use jet propulsion to attain great speeds when chasing prey or fleeing from predators.
Water is drawn into the body and rapidly forced out by muscular contraction through a narrow funnel located just behind and below the head. The force of the water rushing out of the funnel propels the squid in the opposite direction, in much the same way that air escaping from a balloon will cause it to fly around a room. The funnel is flexible and can be turned in any direction, allowing the squid to change direction without turning its body. Using this method of propulsion, some species are capable of tremendous bursts of speed. When fleeing from a predator, the Pacific Flying Squid swims fast enough to shoot out of the water and glide through the air for many metres.