Head to head
European Squid vs Common Octopus
European Squid
VS Common Octopus
The European squid and the common octopus are cephalopods of the same coastal seas, and fishermen's nets and divers regularly meet both.
| European Squid | Common Octopus | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Loligo vulgaris | Octopus vulgaris |
| Relationship | A cephalopod, closely related to cuttlefish | A cephalopod, an eight-armed octopus |
| Limbs | Eight arms and two longer tentacles, the tentacles shot out to seize prey | Eight arms, with no longer feeding tentacles |
| Size | Usually 20 to 40 cm long, with a torpedo-shaped body and triangular fins | An arm span of up to about 1 m, a body around 25 cm, and a weight of 3 to 10 kg |
| Lifestyle | Swims in open coastal and shelf water by jet propulsion, and steers with its fins | Lives on the seabed in crevices and dens, from the shoreline down to about 200 m |
| Brain | A well-developed nervous system that controls rapid colour change | About 500 million neurons, around two-thirds of them in the arms |
| Diet | Small fish, crustaceans, and other squid | Crabs, clams, snails, fish, and other octopuses |
| Lifespan and status | Lives only a few years, and is Least Concern | Lives 1 to 2 years and dies soon after breeding, and is Least Concern |
European Squid vs Common Octopus: common questions
How many limbs does each have?
The squid has ten limbs, eight arms and two longer tentacles, while the octopus has eight arms.
Which one lives on the seabed?
The common octopus, which lives in crevices and dens on the seabed, while the squid swims in open water.
Which one has a bigger brain?
The octopus is famous for its nervous system of around 500 million neurons, two-thirds of them in its arms.