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Story: Octopus and squid

The hooks of a male scaled squid

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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.

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Private collection

by George Jackson

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How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff and Steve O’Shea, Octopus and squid – Life history, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/7909/the-hooks-of-a-male-scaled-squid (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff and Steve O’Shea, published 2 March 2009.