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Striped Pyjama Squid

With its bold black-and-white stripes, the striped pyjama squid looks like it’s dressed for a good night’s sleep — but don’t be fooled by its cute appearance. This cephalopod is a clever ambush predator with some surprising defenses.

 

The striped pyjama squid is a relatively small species, reaching a body length of only about 7 centimeters (2.8 inches). Despite their name, the striped pyjama squid is actually a type of cuttlefish, not squid. This tiny animal’s most striking feature is the pattern it can display of dark, lengthwise stripes running across a pale background. But when stressed or threatened, it can dramatically change its color as well as produce large amounts of slime!

Striped pyjama squids live on sandy seabeds off the coasts of Australia. During the day, they spend much of their time hidden beneath the sediment, leaving only their eyes exposed. At night, they emerge to hunt small crustaceans and fish, ambushing prey with sudden precision and sharp, hoked tentacles.

 

 

The striped pyjama squid is currently listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN Red List, and scientists have not assessed what threats may pose a risk to the species. It is also unknown how many squids may be alive in the wild.

 

 

Not much is known about the population status of these cephalopods, but they depend on healthy and abundant oceans to survive. Oceana’s campaigns zero in on reversing the largest threats to the world’s oceans, helping to protect marine life and rebuild abundant and biodiverse oceans. Learn more about our work and how you can help here.

 

 

  • IUCN Red List 
  • Kang, G., Allard, C. A. H., Valencia-Montoya, W. A, van Giesen, L., Kim, J. J., Kilian, P. B., Bai, X., Bellono, N. W., & Hibbs, R. E. 2023. Sensory specializations drive octopus and squid behaviour. Nature, 616(7956), 378-383. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-05808-z. 
  • Caruana, N. J, Strugnell, J. M., Faou, P., Finn, J., & Cooke, I. R. 2019. Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Slime from the Striped Pyjama Squid, Sepioloidea lineolata, and the Southern Bottletail Squid, Sepiadarium austrinum (Cephalopoda: Sepiadariidae). Journal of Proteome Research, 18(3), 890-899, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jproteome.8b00569 
  • Habitat Preference and Behavioural Ecology of Bobtail Squids (Sepiolidae) 
  • Talbot, C. M. & Marshall, J. 2010. Polarization sensitivity and retinal topography of the striped pyjama squid (Sepioloidea lineolata – Quoy/Gaimard 1832). The Journal of Experimental Biology, 213, 3371-3377. doi:10.1242/jeb.048165 

 

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