Story: Octopus and squid

The hooks of a male scaled squid

The hooks of a male scaled squid

Male scaled squid (Lepidoteuthis grimaldii) have a pair of suckers with a saber-like hook. It is thought that the male stabs these into the much larger female during mating, to retain his grip.

Using this item

Private collection
Photograph by George Jackson

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Maggy Wassilieff and Steve O’Shea, 'Octopus and squid - Life history', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/7909/the-hooks-of-a-male-scaled-squid (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Maggy Wassilieff and Steve O’Shea, published 12 Jun 2006