There are many – the best way to understand this is by comparing the way the animals are. To begin with, squid have an elongated, tube-shaped body. Octopuses, as you can see in the infographic that illustrates these pages, are more rounded. Second important difference: in addition to the eight arms, which are common to these two molluscs, squid still have a pair of tentacles and fins along the body – octopuses do not. The behavior of octopuses and squids is also different: the former live dragging themselves on the bottom of the sea, while squids swim very close to the surface, where the small animals and vegetables that serve as food are. The last important difference is the technical classification of the animals. “Octopuses belong to the order Octopoda, divided into two suborders: Cirrata, which groups octopuses that live in deeper waters, and Incirrata, formed by more coastal animals. Squids, in turn, are part of the Teuthoidea order, which has two major suborders, Myopsida and Oegopsida, whose basic difference is whether or not there is a membrane over the eyes,” says biologist Acácio Ribeiro Gomes Tomás, from the Instituto de Fisheries in the State of São Paulo. All over the world, there are dozens of species of octopus and squid, which vary greatly in size. Octopuses can measure from 5 centimeters to almost 6 meters, but the most numerous species, called the common octopus, the Octopus vulgaris, is on average 70 centimeters. Squids range from 1.5 centimeters to more than 10 meters, but the most common, Loligo plei, also measures around 70 centimeters. Many chefs consider this species a delicious delicacy. Lucky for us, it appears a lot here on the Brazilian coast.
SAVIOR BLUR
Like squid, most octopuses have an ink sac in their bodies. They release the “blur” when they want to camouflage attacks on prey or flee from predators. At the bottom of the sea, the main enemies of octopuses are moray eels and groupers.
MARINE MENU
At lunchtime, the octopus uses its arms to immobilize its prey and a toxin to kill it. Its menu includes crabs and shellfish.
ONE GROUP ONLY
The arms of octopuses have three uses: they serve for locomotion, copulation and food capture. In males, one of the eight arms has a small groove at the end to fertilize the female. Another detail is that the arms of octopuses have suction cups along their entire length — while those of squids have suction cups only at the ends.
SMART DISGUISE
Some octopus species have the ability to change color during hunting or some pursuit. In addition, he sees very well underwater and is considered the most intelligent of all invertebrate animals on the planet, for his ease in learning new things.
DEADLY PREGNANCY
Upon reaching sexual maturity, around 5 months, the mother octopus lays her eggs in cracks in the rocks and takes care of the young until they are born, which takes 45 days. The effort is deadly: for spending so long without food, the female dies after the first spawn.
DANGEROUS GIANT
This is a representation of the largest species of octopus that exists, the Enteroctopus dofleini. Found in the Indian and Pacific oceans, this giant measures almost 6 meters, weighs up to 100 kilos and releases a toxin so powerful that it can cause the death of an adult in up to two minutes.
BRACES IN THE SHALLOW
Swimming in the so-called water column (areas a few tens of meters deep), squids also have eight tentacles, but they have a more slender body and two flippers that octopuses don’t have. The largest squid that exist are those of the genus Architeuthis. This true sea monster reaches 10 meters and reaches up to 200 kilos
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