I'm right, aren't I?
Crazy, eh? I know, I'm a little psychic. Don't worry, I get it all the time.
Anyway, you're interested in squid and I won't delay any longer. Welcome to my blog about my favourite animal taxon, Octopoteuthidae. I hope that after you've poked around for a bit you'll have a better understanding of this amazing family, and of squid in general.
To start with I thought I'd just give you an idea as to where in the 'tree of life' you can find these guys. They're animals, clearly - and molluscs as well (most people know that, but it is still counterintuitive when you compare them to other mollucs: slugs, clams, chitons, etc.).
Squid are a major group in the Cephalopoda, the 'head-foot'-ed in Greek. Then we get into some abstract groupings, and emerge at the Decapodiformes. These are all the 10 armed cephalopods (deca = 10) two of which have been modified into tentacles. These include the squid, cuttlefish, sepiolids, Spirula, and their relatives. This group is to the exclusion of 8 armed cephalopods, the Octopodiformes, which are the octopus and Vampyroteuthis infernalis. Order Teuthida are the squid - pretty straightforward. Oegopsids are squids without a cornea covering the eye. They are a major group of cephalopods, dominating pelagic and open ocean environments.
And finally, here we are, we have arrived at the Octopoteuthidae. Please keep all arms, legs, and tentacles inside the cart until the ride has come to a complete stop. Actually, the ride has just begun...
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