Invertebrates
Pyjama Squid
Sepioloidea lineolata · also called striped pyjama squid
Buried in sand through the daylight hours, a pyjama squid emerges after dark to hunt small crustaceans, its bold brown and white stripes and toxic flesh offering protection despite its small size and close relation to the bobtail squids rather than true squids.
Overview
The pyjama squid, Sepioloidea lineolata, is native to shallow coastal waters around Australia. Its bold striped pattern, toxic body tissue, and classification as a bobtail squid rather than a true squid make it one of the more distinctive and well-defended small cephalopods found in Australian waters.
A name that misleads
Despite carrying “squid” in its common name, the pyjama squid actually belongs to the bobtail squid group, a lineage of small, rounded cephalopods that diverged from true squids, making the name more a matter of convenient convention than strict biological accuracy.
Status
Not Evaluated for conservation status, found across suitable shallow coastal habitat around Australia.
Pyjama Squid: common questions
Is the pyjama squid actually a squid?
Not in the strictest sense; despite its common name, it belongs to the bobtail squid group, a separate lineage of cephalopods distinct from true squids, though closely related.
Why is the pyjama squid's flesh toxic?
Its body tissue contains compounds that make it unpalatable or harmful to many potential predators, a chemical defence that likely helps compensate for its small size and slow movement.
What does the pyjama squid do during the day?
It spends daylight hours buried in sand or sediment on the seafloor, emerging at night to hunt small crustaceans and fish.
Where is the pyjama squid found?
It is native to shallow coastal waters around Australia.