Cephalopod

Boreoatlantic armhook squid

Gonatus fabricii

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic Found in 2 oceans

Depth

Young near the surface, adults down to about 2,700 m

Size

Mantle up to about 38 cm

Diet

Crustaceans when young, then fish

Zone

Twilight zone · 200 – 1,000 m

Key facts

• It is the only squid that lives in the Arctic all year round, and the most abundant cephalopod.
• Its tentacle club bears a large central hook.
• At least 46 species eat it: fish, birds, seals and toothed whales.
• It moves down into deeper water as it grows.

And the sperm whale?

Sperm whales stranded in Scotland and Denmark had eaten almost nothing but Gonatus squid, probably this species.

Verified sources

1. SeaLifeBase : Gonatus fabricii
2. Fram Centre : Ecological role of the Arctic’s most abundant cephalopod
3. Tree of Life : Gonatus fabricii
4. Santos et al. 1999, MEPS 183 : 281-294

In the game: Prey: +10 points

In the same zone

Antarctic toothfishDissostichus mawsoni Glacial squidPsychroteuthis glacialis Antarctic silverfishPleuragramma antarctica Big red jellyfishTiburonia granrojo Leafscale gulper sharkCentrophorus squamosus Grimaldi scaled squidLepidoteuthis grimaldii