Pygmy squid

Idiosepius sp.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Idiosepida
Family: Idiosepiidae
Genus: Idiosepius
Species: Idiosepius sp.

Pygmy squid (Idiosepius sp.) are among the smallest cephalopods in the world, only around 1-2 cm long, and glue themselves to seagrass and leaves with a special adhesive gland on their back. Their translucent bodies are speckled with tiny chromatophores.

Hanging upside down from a blade of seagrass, a pygmy squid waits for small shrimps to pass, then grabs them with its arms. Despite their size they are fierce hunters, sometimes tackling prey larger than themselves. They live only a few months.

Pygmy squid live in shallow seagrass beds and mangroves in the Indo-West Pacific, including the Philippines, where they are a classic find for patient macro divers searching seagrass and floating leaves in the shallows.