Japanese+Flying+Squid


 * Phylum: Mollusca **



**Common Name:** Japanese Flying Squid

**Scientific Name:** Todarodes pacificus

**Class:** Cephalopoda

**Location:** They are found in the northern parts of the Pacific Ocean. They can also be found all the way up the cost too. This also includes China and Russia. They have also been located along the Bering Straight and into the areas of Alaska and Canada.

**Size:** This species of squid can weigh up to 0.5 kg

**Habitat:** This squid lives in the northern Pacific Ocean, in the area surrounding Japan, up the full coast of China up to Russia, then spreading across the Bering Straight over towards the lower coast of Alaska and the coast of Canada. They tend to cluster around the central region of Vietnam.

**Living Requirements:** The Japanese squid can live anywhere from 5° to 27°C, and tend to inhabit the u pper layers of the ocean

**Life Cycle:** Reproduction occurs at about the end of their life. After they mate they will die. They migrate to one of the three areas to mate; the East China Sea, Kyushu, and the Sea of Japan. The females can create up to 4,000 eggs at a time which are deposited into the ocean. They tend to deposit their eggs in the same location where t hey were born themselves. It takes about four days for the eggs to hatch.

**Male and Female:** Mantle length in females can go up to 50 cm; males are smaller.


 * Interesting Facts: **
 * They have rings on the back of their heads. These are to determine how old they are.
 * They have a life span of about a year.
 * They eat other types of squid.

**Human Impact:** High amounts of Japanese Flying Squid are consumed in both Japan and China. Therefore the commercial fishing for them is very high. The abundant amounts of squid are also shipped to other countries. They are mainly captured the first three months of the year, but to keep up with the high demand for it the process coontinues all year long.



Zookeeper Hannah Jones

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