The incredible flying squid

doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(12)61301-3

New Scientist

Volume 214, Issue 2865, 19 May 2012, Pages 39-41

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0262-4079(12)61301-3 Get rights and content

Yes, squid really can fly. And they may do it far more often than anyone realised

Section snippets

Dual wings

These two wings provide enough lift for squid to glide well over 10 metres. When Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific on a raft in 1947, he reported seeing squid gliding for at least 50 metres. That's comparable to most flying fish, which is very impressive given that the “wings” of squid are so much smaller.

During his voyage across the Pacific, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl reported seeing squid flying over 50 metres

Flying squid also seem to have an impressive degree

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Cited by (4)

Squid rocket science: How squid launch into air
2013, Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography
Citation Excerpt :
Maciá et al. (2004) documented fourteen published reports of squid flight going all the way back to Rush (1892), who was likely describing (Sthenoteuthis pteropus). Another ommastrephid squid, Illex illecebrosus, was also reported to fly (O'Dor, 2012; O'Dor et al., 1977; Webber and O'Dor, 1986), causing researchers to lower the water level in a 15 m diameter aquarium to avoid having squid fly onto the surrounding deck at night. Despite documented flight in several squid species, we are only aware of one analysis of powered flight by squid (Cole and Gilbert, 1970) from an 8 mm movie of a D. gigas off Peru in 1964.
Squid not only swim, they can also fly like rockets, accelerating through the air by forcefully expelling water out of their mantles. Using available lab and field data from four squid species, Sthenoteuthis pteropus, Dosidicus gigas, Illex illecebrosus and Loligo opalescens, including sixteen remarkable photographs of flying S. pteropus off the coast of Brazil, we compared the cost of transport in both water and air and discussed methods of maximizing power output through funnel and mantle constriction. Additionally we found that fin flaps develop at approximately the same size range as flight behaviors in these squids, consistent with previous hypotheses that flaps could function as ailerons whilst aloft. S. pteropus acceleration in air (265 body lengths [BL]/s²; 24.5 m/s²) was found to exceed that in water (79 BL/s²) three-fold based on estimated mantle length from still photos. Velocities in air (37 BL/s; 3.4 m/s) exceed those in water (11 BL/s) almost four-fold. Given the obvious advantages of this extreme mode of transport, squid flight may in fact be more common than previously thought and potentially employed to reduce migration cost in addition to predation avoidance. Clearly squid flight, the role of fin flaps and funnel, and the energetic benefits are worthy of extended investigation.
Cephalopod Behaviour, SECOND EDITION
2018, Cephalopod Behaviour, Second Edition
The first global integrated marine assessment: World ocean assessment i
2017, The First Global Integrated Marine Assessment: World Ocean Assessment I
How squid swim and fly
2013, Canadian Journal of Zoology

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New Scientist

FeatureThe incredible flying squid

Section snippets

Dual wings

Feature
The incredible flying squid