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Ram's Horn Squid
Ewald Rübsamen, public domain, via iNaturalist

Squid & octopus

Ram's Horn Squid

Spirula spirula (Linnaeus, 1758)

LC Least Concern

Names

EnglishRam's Horn Squid
DutchPosthoreninktvis
SpanishCalamar cuerno de carnero
Chinese模式小旋鱿
Scientific nameSpirula spirula (Linnaeus, 1758)

About this species

Spirula spirula is a species of deep-water squid-like cephalopod mollusk. It is the only extant member of the genus Spirula, the family Spirulidae, and the order Spirulida. Because of the shape of its internal shell, it is commonly known as the ram's horn squid or the little post horn squid. Because the live animal has a light-emitting organ, it is also sometimes known as the tail-light squid.

Live specimens of this cephalopod are very rarely seen because it is a deep-ocean dweller. The small internal shell of the species is, however, quite a familiar object to many beachcombers. The shell of Spirula is extremely light in weight, very buoyant, and surprisingly durable; it very commonly floats ashore onto tropical beaches (and sometimes even temperate beaches) all over the world. This seashell is known to shell collectors as the ram's horn shell or simply as Spirula.

Read more on Wikipedia · Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumMollusca
ClassCephalopoda
OrderSpirulida
FamilySpirulidae
GenusSpirula