Cephalopods · Oegopsida · Ommastrephidae

Humboldt Squid

Dosidicus gigas

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

The Humboldt squid — known in Spanish as calamar gigante, jibia gigante, jibia chilena, potón del Pacífico, potón peruano, pota or simply jibia — is a large cephalopod mollusc, abundant off the coasts of Peru, Mexico and Chile. Those countries fish it industrially, and it has gained importance in recent years thanks to strong international demand.

Weight

up to 50 kg

Size

up to 1.2 m

Lifespan

2 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

OceanCarnivore Nocturnal Colonial Ocean Mollusc

13countries 17parks 15dive sites

Fun facts

GeneralIt communicates in waves of red and white; it lives only a year or two and grows to 2 m.
It is the largest squid in its family and supports one of the largest cephalopod fisheries in the world, above all in Peru, Chile and Mexico.
It grows extraordinarily fast: it reaches more than a metre and tens of kilos in little over a year, and dies after breeding.
It hunts in large groups and is said to turn cannibal when hooked.
Its range has shifted north strikingly: during warm events it has reached Alaska, far beyond its historical range.
It tolerates the oxygen minimum zone, where it hunts with almost no competition, suppressing its metabolism while it is there.
It flashes rapidly between red and white, which has earned it the name red devil.