Neon Flying Squid

## About

A neon flying squid.

The neon flying squid ***(Ommastrephes bartramii)*** is a species of large flying squid which occurs in the waters of every continent except Antarctica. The squid is named for not only its bright pink/purple to dark blue colouration but also its breaching behaviours. They are particularly identifiable by the latitudinal silver band on the middle-ventral side of their mantles. The squid also posses ten tentacles with two being longer and adorning tentacular clubs. The tentacles each have 9-27 ventral suckers and 10-25 dorsal suckers, whereas the tentacular clubs have 4-7 toothed suckers. These toothed suckers in particular distinguish the squid from other similar species. Neon flying squid are sexually dimorphic and males are smaller than females. Males can reach a mantle length (ML) of 29-32cm (0.95-1.0ft), whereas females are much larger, with a ML of 50cm (1.6ft). Similarly, the maximum ML of a male is 45cm (1.48ft) while the maximum ML of a female can reach 60cm (2.0ft).

## Diet

The neon flying squid is carnivorous and preys on small oceanic fish species. They come to shallower waters exclusively at night to hunt. Beyond this, they are also known to practice cannibalism.

## Conservation Status

100,000-200,000t (110,231-220,462T) worth of neon flying squid is commercially fished in the northwest Pacific per year through means of "jigging" a fishing practice where bait and lures are used to simulate prey through light reflection, stirring squid to the surface in order to be caught. 378,000t (416,673T) of squid was previously taken throughout east Asia with the use of drift net fishing however, following the ban of practice in 1993, the annual catch rate lowered to the current level. This pre-ban annual catch rate bordered the ecological sustainability threshold for the species and if continued, could of had massive consequences for the species as a whole. Neon flying squid are fished for human consumption above all else and are very popular in countries like China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Despite the massive catch rates, the species is still classed as least concern by the IUCN.

## Range and Population

The neon flying squid inhabits every major ocean in tropical and subtropical climates. Along the north Pacific subarctic boundary zone, the squid can be found at depths of 150-300m (492-984ft) by day and less than 40m (131ft) at night. As a vertically migrating species, neon flying squid have also been known to go much deeper than this, being found at around 1,490m (4,890ft). The population of the neon flying squid is unknown however, the number of catches across its range suggest a large population.

## Behaviour

Neon flying squid are highly migratory and exhibit cyclical migration between their feeding and spawning grounds. The northern Pacific neon flying squid subpopulation is known for migrating from favourable subtropical spawning areas to the subarctic boundary. This migration then creates two specific subpopulations, being the northern autumn and winter-spring cohorts in the eastern and western north Pacific respectively. The two groups also exhibit different migration patterns dependent on individual sex. The males of the northern autumn cohorts will not migrate at all, whilst their female counterparts migrate north to feeding grounds. The males of the winter-spring cohort will migrate with females however, they will cease once they reach a ML of 25cm (9.8in). It can also be noted that the individuals of the northern autumn cohort cannot be found in the western Pacific spawning grounds at all regardless of sex. This absence is likely a result of the Kurishio Extension Current which sends squids to the central Pacific. As males reach sexual maturity earlier than females, they are more prompted to mate. They transfer their spermatophores into the buccal membrane of the female, who will soon begin spawning as she reaches sexual maturity. As the species only has a lifespan of one year, breeding is not seasonal and rather occurs in spurts throughout the year and dependent on size, a single female squid may lay up to 3.6 million eggs. Once they hatch, the paralarvae will congregate in waters around 25m (82ft) deep across the north Pacific. As their name suggests, neon flying squids have been known to 'fly' out of the water, propelling themselves into the air and occasionally even landing on vessels. They have been known to be able to fly through the air for upwards of 30m (100ft) at an incredible speed of 11.2m (36.7ft) per second. Additionally, they have been found to be able to jump up to a massive 50m (164ft) into the air. The way they do this has been long debated, but it likely occurs when a squid releases a pressurised jet of water from within its mantle, propelling directly towards the ocean's surface. Due to the distance and speed of the flight, this behaviour has been labelled as being closer to flying than gliding. The species does this in order to escape potential threats like large predatory fish. When in the air, they spread out their fins and form their tentacles in a triangular orientation.

### Relationship with Humans

As mentioned previously, the neon flying squid is fished commercially by many east Asian countries as a source of food.

## Sources

* IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/163163/979160
* Neon Flying Squid | Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon\_flying\_squid
* Can Neon Flying Squid Jump Out of Water? | American Oceans - https://www.americanoceans.org/blog/neon-flying-squid/
* The squid that can fly faster than Usain Bolt! Amazing creatures soar more than 100 feet through the air at 11.2 metres PER SECOND | Daily Mail - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2275966/Neon-Flying-Squid-Amazing-creatures-soar-100-feet-air-11-2-metres-PER-SECOND.html