Humboldt squid

The Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas), also known as the red devil, jumbo squid, or jumbo flying squid, is a large, predatory squid living in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the only known species of the genus Dosidicus of the subfamily Ommastrephinae, family Ommastrephidae. Humboldt squid typically reach a mantle length of 1.5 m (5 ft), making the species the largest member of its family, and one of the largest species of squid. They are most commonly found at depths of 200 to 700 m (660 to 2,300 ft), from Tierra del Fuego to California. This species is currently spreading north into the waters of the Pacific Northwest, in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. Like other members of the subfamily Ommastrephinae, they possess chromatophores which enable them to quickly change body coloration, known as 'metachrosis' which is the rapid flash of their skin from red to white. They have a relatively short lifespan of just 1–2 years. This species is the most important squid worldwide for commercial fisheries, with the catch predominantly landed in Chile, Peru and Mexico; however, a 2015 warming waters fishery collapse in the Gulf of California remains unrecovered. They have a reputation for aggression toward humans, although this behavior may only occur during feeding times.

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