Dosidicus gigas
Distribution:
Southeast Alaska to northern Chile.
Habitat:
Oceanic; epipelagic to mesopelagic.
Size:
Paralarvae: 0.8 to 6.0 mm mantle length (ML). Adults: 600 to 800 mm (ML) in the North Pacific.
Diet:
Fishes, squids and plankton.
Predators:
Sperm whales and large fishes.
Useful Facts or Characters:
Adults large, fin angle 57 degrees and distal ends of arms with 100-200 minute, closely packed suckers. Fins and funnel large.
Natural History:
Commonly called jumbo flying squid, since 2002 it has been seen frequently off the coast of Southern California and occasionally as far north as Alaska. In several years there have been mass strandings, usually of juveniles, along the California coast.
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