Humboldt Squid

The Humboldt squid is the largest of the Ommastrephid squids, as some individuals may grow to 1.5 m (5 ft) in mantle length and weigh up to 50 kg (110 lb). They appear to be sexually dimorphic: on average the females mature at larger sizes than the males. Generally, the mantle (or body, which includes the fins or wings) constitutes about 56–62% of the animal's mass, the arms and tentacles about 11–15%, the head (including eyes and beak) about 10–13%, the outer skin (cuticle) 2.5–5.0%, the hepatopancreas (liver analogue) 4.2–5.6%, with the rest made up of the other inner organs. The gonads consist of 1.5–15.0% of the total mass. The gladius (the single inner 'bone') is 0.7–1.0%. Precise ratios depend on the age, sex and sizes of the individual squid.

They are propelled by water ejected through a hyponome (siphon) and by two triangular fins. The Humboldt's two tentacles are elastic and can lash out with remarkable speed to grab hold of prey, holding it fast with the help of a wealth of suckers on each tentacle. Each sucker includes an inner ring of teeth. After grabbing the prey, the tentacles then retract and the prey is drawn toward a large, razor-sharp beak.

The Humboldt squid lives at depths of 200 to 700 m (660 to 2,300 ft) in the eastern Pacific (Notably in Chile and Peru), ranging from Tierra del Fuego north to California. Recently, the squid have been found as far north as British Columbia. They have also ventured into Puget Sound. Although they usually prefer deeper water, between 1,000 and 1,500 squid washed up on the Long Beach Peninsula in southwest Washington in late 2004 and red algae were a speculated cause for the late 2012 beaching of an unspecified number of juvenile squid (average length 50 cm or 1.5 ft) at Monterey Bay over a 2-month period.

Changes in distribution. Humboldt squid are generally found in the warm Pacific waters off the Mexican coast; studies published in the early 2000s indicated an increase in northern migration. The large 1997–1998 El Niño event triggered the first sightings of Humboldt squid in Monterey Bay. Then, during the minor El Niño event of 2002, they returned to Monterey Bay in higher numbers and have been seen there year-round since then. Similar trends have been shown off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and even Alaska, although no year-round Humboldt squid populations are in these locations. …

Humboldt squid are carnivorous marine invertebrates that move in shoals of up to 1,200 individuals. They swim at speeds up to 24 km/h (15 mph; 13 kn). Electronic tagging has shown Humboldt squid undergo diel vertical migrations, which bring them closer to the surface from dusk to dawn. Humboldt squid are thought to have a lifespan of about a year, although larger individuals may survive up to 2 years. Crittercams attached to two or three Humboldt squid revealed the species has two modes of color-generating (chromogenic) behavior:

The entire body flashes between the colors red and white at 2–4 Hz when in the presence of other squid, this behavior likely representing intraspecific signaling. This flashing can be modulated in frequency, amplitude and in phase synchronization with each other. What they are communicating to each other is unknown – it could be an invitation for sex or a warning to not get too close. The other chromogenic mode is a much slower "flickering" of red and white waves which travel up and down the body, this is thought to be a dynamic type of camouflage which mimics the undulating pattern of sunlight filtering through the water, like sunlight on the bottom of a swimming pool. …

Because the flesh of the animals is saturated with ammonium chloride, which keeps them neutrally buoyant in seawater, the animal tastes unpleasantly salty, sour, and bitter when fresh (somewhat akin to salmiak). To make the squid more palatable for the frozen squid market, freshly caught Humboldt squid are commercially processed by first mechanically tenderizing them, dropping them in icy water with 1% mixture of lactic and citric acid for three hours, then washed, then soaked in another vat with a 6% brine solution for three hours. An alternate method for home cooks to neutralize the unpleasant taste also exists. Compared to other types of seafood, Humboldt squid is inexpensive along their native South American Pacific coastline, retailing around US$0.30/kg in Peru, and about US$2.00/kg in Chile, in the early 2010s. In Chile the squid is eaten in chupes and paila marina. In Peru, the practice of making ceviche from cheap squid began in the poorer parts of Lima when the meat became available in the 1990s, and has since spread to Cuzco. It is sold on the street in food carts, as well as cevicherias, restaurants dedicated to this cuisine. In the United States it is made into 'squid steaks'.