There are around 300 known species of squid worldwide. Like cuttlefish, squids have eight arms and two tentacles arranged in pairs. I know what you’re thinking but yes, there are unique species of squids and there are colorful species too. Check this out!

Hawaiian Bobtail Squid

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The beautiful and brightly colored Hawaiian Bobtail Squid (Euprymna scolopes), a species of bobtail squid, is native to the central Pacific Ocean. It occurs in shallow coastal waters off the Hawaiian Islands and Midway Island. Euprymna scolopes grows to 30 mm in mantle length.

Striped Pyjama Squid

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This creature named Striped Pyjama Squid is not colorful but has a unique pattern hence the name. Sepioloidea lineolata, a poisonous species, is endemic to the southern Indo-Pacific region and is found on sand and amongst seagrass in waters up to 20 meters in depth. It grows to 50 mm in mantle length. The arms are short and webbed. The overall appearance resembles a dumpling; hence it is also called Striped Dumpling Squid.

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Opalescent Inshore Squid

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The unique Loligo opalescens which is commonly called Opalescent Inshore Squid is a small squid that lives in the Eastern Pacific Ocean within 200 miles or 320 kilometers of shore. This species of squid is capable of changing its color shades by using chromophores depending on mood and for camouflage. They are normally a bluish-white to mottled brown and gold, and they change to dark red or brown when excited, frightened or feeding.

Atlantic Bobtail Squid

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The Atlantic Bobtail, a species native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean from Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway and Moroccan coast. There is a single record of this species from the Mediterranean Sea. Its scientific name is Sepiola atlantica. This squid can grow up to 21 cm in mantle length.

Banded Piglet Squid

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The Banded Piglet Squid, a small with distinct appearance species, lives near the surface of the oceans between 100 to 200 m deep. Helicocranchia pfefferi is 100 mm in mantle length and its body is consists of a large funnel with small paddle-like fins. One bizarre trait of the Banded Piglet Squid is the small tentacles above its eyes.

A Glass Squid

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Bigfin Reef Squid

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The unique-looking Bigfin Reef Squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana, is a common species of inshore squid found from the Hawaiian Island’s through the tropical Indo-Pacific to the Red Sea.

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This species is known for its visual communication, elaborate courtship displays, and size sorted schooling behavior.

Caribbean Reef Squid

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This see-through species is sometimes simply called Reef Squid, Sepioteuthis sepioidea, a small (20 cm) torpedo-shaped squid with fins. The fins extend nearly the entire length of the body and undulate rapidly as it swims.

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As its name implies, the Caribbean Reef Squid is found throughout the Caribbean Sea and is the only squid species commonly sighted by divers over inshore reefs in the Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean region.

Magnapinna pacifica

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Magnapinna pacifica, a species of bigfin squid, has a unique physical appearance and coloration strangely different from all other squid species. Specimen of this squid was caught at a depth of less than 300 m. It is characterized primarily by its proximal tentacles, which are wider than adjacent arms and bear numerous suckers.

Mastigoteuthis flammea

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If Megapinna pacifica is yellow the Mastigoteuthis flammea is red. It is a species of Whip-Lash Squid. The placement of this species in the genus Mastigoteuthis is questionable.

Mastigoteuthis magna

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This species of squid with skin that is heavily pigmented with deep red is called Mastigoteuthis magna. It is a species of Whip-Lash Squid that is characterized by a lack of photophores.

Megalocranchia fisheri

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This unique species of glass squid found in the waters of Hawaii may attain a mantle length of 1.8 m and a total length of over 2.7 m making it one of the largest species of squid, together with the Colossal Squid, Giant squid and Robust Clubhook Squid. Megalocranchia fisheri possesses two large light organs in the gill cavity. Females additionally have light organs on the ends of their third arm pair.

Vampire Squid

Vampyroteuthis infernalis which literally means “vampire squid from hell” is the scientific name of Vampire Squid, a small, deep-sea cephalopod. It is found throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world.

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Vampire Squid which is about 30 cm or 1 ft in total length is no threat to humans. Its 15 cm or 6 inch gelatinous body varies in color between velvety jet-black and pale reddish, depending on location and lighting conditions. A webbing of skin connects its eight arms, each lined with rows of fleshy spines. Its eyes which appear red or blue are proportionately the largest in the animal kingdom at 2.5 cm or 1 inch in diameter.

Octosquid

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One of the latest discovered species of squid found in 2007 off the Hawaiian Islands at a depth of 3,000 ft or 910 m is the ruby-red colored Octosquid. The creature was identified as an unnamed species of squid and measured about a foot long, with white suction cups on its arms.

Hope you enjoyed this. Thank you!

For more marine cephalopods see

Pretty Aquatic Pets: 10 Most Beautiful Shrimps

For more amazing marine creatures see

Giant Creatures of the Deep Sea

25 Amazing and Bizarre Deep Sea Creatures

World’s Most Brightly Colored Fishes

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10 Amazing Sea Creatures

Beauty and the Beast: 20 Most Venomous Fishes in the World

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Waterworld Creatures With Wings

Aquatic Animals with the Most Prominent and Longest Snouts