PHOTO GALLERY: Squid Dissection

Squids, like the short-fin squid the Children at home school day at Mote Aquarium on Wednesday, Jan. 11 got to dissect are members of the Cephlipod species. These squids are used to feed the fish and sharks at Mote and are most often used in calamari served at restaurants.

97% of the animals in the world are invertebrate from oceans, and cephalopods, members of the mollusk family that have soft bodies and typically shells, are considered the most intelligent. For example, an octopus (a cephalopod species) in Mote Aquarium has learned how to open a jar to get its food. These are just some of the lessons the children got to learn hands on. Perhaps the most important tip they learned was that toothpaste takes the smell of squid off of hands!

(Click on "more photos" to view the entire gallery)