"Himeika", which is called "the world's smallest squid" with a body length of about 3 cm even as an adult, is exhibited at the Uozu Aquarium in Uozu City, Toyama Prefecture.
Himeika inhabits a wide range from the south of Japan's Sanriku region to the Indian Ocean, and is called the smallest squid in the world.
At the Uozu Aquarium, 14 Himeika, about 3 cm in length, were captured by aquarium staff during a diving survey off the coast of Uozu in Toyama Bay last December.
"Himeika" has "adhesive cell groups" that produce sticky substances in its body, and spends a lot of time sticking to seaweeds such as eelgrass, but it swims quickly when eating small food shrimp. ..
Even if the body is small, it has the characteristics of squid, such as spitting ink and changing the color of the body in various ways.
Although it is not a rare squid that is distributed all over the world, we decided to exhibit it individually for the first time at the Uozu Aquarium.
Kei Kusama, a zookeeper at Uozu Aquarium, who is in charge of breeding, said, "Not only is it small and cute, but there are also parts that are different from general squid, such as melting food with digestive juice and eating it, so please observe it carefully." I am.