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Animal profile

Hawaiian Bobtail Squid

Euprymna scolopes

CephalopodaShallow sandy shallows and seagrass flats of the Hawaiian archipelago

Field profile

The Hawaiian bobtail squid is a thumb-sized nocturnal cephalopod that buries in sand by day and hunts shrimp at night. It is a workhorse of symbiosis research because of the light organ it stocks with a single species of luminous bacteria.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-12-24

Hawaiian Bobtail Squid

This squid hires bacteria to erase its shadow

Euprymna scolopes houses luminous Vibrio fischeri in a dedicated light organ and shines the light downward, matching the moonlight filtering from the surface above and cancelling the silhouette a predator swimming below would otherwise be able to see.

Read with evidence →

Hawaiian Bobtail Squid | Daily Animal Facts