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Animal profile

Japanese Flying Squid

Todarodes pacificus

CephalopodaOpen shelf and slope waters of the north-western Pacific, migrating seasonally

Field profile

The Japanese flying squid is a fast, migratory open-water squid and one of the most heavily fished cephalopods in the world. It lives about a year, spawning in the East China Sea and moving north to feed.

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

2026-03-25

Japanese Flying Squid

Flying squid genuinely glide above the sea

Photographic sequences analysed in 2013 showed Todarodes pacificus leaving the water under jet power, then spreading its fins and arm membranes into aerofoils and gliding for tens of metres above the surface before folding them and re-entering.

Read with evidence →

Japanese Flying Squid | Daily Animal Facts