How the Squid Lost its Shell …

It sounds like a Dr Seuss riddle, but instead, this question is at the heart of the recent New York Times article that explained how evolutionary pressures favor “being nimble over being armored,” which explains how, over time, animals like the squid became shell-less.

Here in Long Island Sound the squid (technically the long-finned squid: Loligo pealei) is a common species, indeed squid have been one of the top three species caught in the Annual Long Island Sound Trawl Survey nearly every year, for over 20 years.A couple of squid facts: squid are a key to the food web, they are a major food for popular sport fish such as striped bass and bluefish. And, squid have unusual features, especially the ability of the long-finned squid to change color and the patterns of their skin.

SO, the squid of Long Island Sound have quite a story, from the evolutionary loss of shell to their role in the food web to their clever camouflage. Students at SoundWaters study squid from many perspectives, including dissection, as a way to understand the form and function of the clever cephalopods.