Difference Wiki

Squid vs. Octopus

Squid and Octopus both are aquatic animals that live in oceanic waters. They belong to same species, family, and genus. Both of them are cephalopods. The basic difference between a squid and octopus is that a squid lives in the open oceans and prefer to live on the upper surface of the water, whereas octopus lives in the dens in the oceans and prefer to live under deep dark water. Both of them have eight arms each as they both are cephalopods. Squids have two additional tentacles for catching and killing the prey whereas octopus does the same thing with the eight sucker-lined arms.

Key Differences

Squids have shell known as a pen, which is more like a flexible bone.
Squid is the cephalopod aquatic animal that lives in the salty oceans and prefers to live in open water spaces.
Squids belong to the order of Teuthida.
Janet White
Jun 27, 2017
Octopus is the cephalopod aquatic animal that also lives in the salty oceans but prefers to live inside the dark dens and deep, dense water.
Octopus belongs to the order of Octopoda.
Harlon Moss
Jun 27, 2017
Squids have two long tentacles.
Harlon Moss
Jun 27, 2017
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Squids have eight arms that possess sucker rings and hooks on them.
Samantha Walker
Jun 27, 2017
Octopi does not have any shell or any bony structure inside their body.
Aimie Carlson
Jun 27, 2017
Octopi does not have fins, but some rare kind could possess
Harlon Moss
Jun 27, 2017
Octopi have eight arms lined up with two rows of a sucker.
Janet White
Jun 27, 2017
Squids have eaten fishes and shrimps.
Janet White
Jun 27, 2017
Squids have two fins on their head.
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Octopi does not have tentacles.
Samantha Walker
Jun 27, 2017
Octopi eat crustaceans and other smaller organism living with corals.
Aimie Carlson
Jun 27, 2017
Octopi catch their prey by arms and kill it by injecting venom into their body.
Samantha Walker
Jun 27, 2017
Squids catch and kill their prey by their tentacles.
Aimie Carlson
Jun 27, 2017

Comparison Chart

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Squid is head-footed aquatic cephalopod animal that has eight arms and two tentacles.
Octopus is aquatic cephalopod that is also head-footed. It has eight sucker-lined arms.

Class

Cephalopoda
Cephalopoda
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Phylum

Mollusca
Mollusca

Order

Teuthida
Octopoda
Janet White
Jun 27, 2017

Kingdom

Animalia
Animalia
Harlon Moss
Jun 27, 2017

Anatomy

Squids have a flexible bone called pen. They have two fins on their head. They also have eight arms that have hooks and sucker rings on them. Other than that they have two long tentacles on the front.
Octopi have round mantle like heads that has eyes on them. They are provided with eight arms that has rows of suckers on them. No hooks and rings are present.
Janet White
Jun 27, 2017

Shell

Squids have a solid structure inside their body which is only flexible bone inside them. This shell type structure is called pen.
Octopi does not have any bone, shell or any solid bone like structure in their body. They represent the pure Mollusca phylum instead.

Fins

Along with the long tentacles in front, squids have two fins on their head too.
Usually normal kind of octopi does not have fins on them. But some rare species living deep inside the dens may possess.

Size

Squids are larger in size than Octopus. Their average size range from 60cm to 13m. Some giant one were also found more than 20meters.
Their average size ranges from 1cm to maximum 5meters.

Diet

Squid eats fishes and shrimp as their permanent and favorite food.
Octopi eat the small sea creatures that are found near corals in deep sea like crustaceans.
Aimie Carlson
Jun 27, 2017

Life Span

The average life span of squid is nine months to 5 years.
The average life span of octopus is 1 to 3 years.

Hunting

Squid, unlike octopus, does not use their arms for catching the prey. They catch and kill their prey by using their two tentacles that are long enough. They eat their prey in chunks.
Octopuses use their eight sucker-lined arms for catching and killing their prey. Octopus injects venom through the shell of their prey and paralyzes it. The flesh of the prey is dissolved with saliva.
Harlon Moss
Jun 27, 2017

Geographical Distribution

Squids are found in salty waters and ocean. Temperate water is best for their dwelling.
Octopuses are also found in temperate and salty waters. They more specifically prefer to live in deep oceans.
Janet White
Jun 27, 2017

Squid and Octopus Definitions

Squid

A device that measures minute changes in magnetic flux by means of one or more Josephson junctions, often used to detect extremely small changes in magnetic fields, electric currents, and voltages.

Octopus

Any of various carnivorous marine cephalopod mollusks chiefly of the family Octopodidae, having a soft body, eight arms with suckers, a large distinct head, and a mouth with a strong beak.

Squid

Any of various marine cephalopod mollusks of several families of the superorder Decapodiformes (or Decabrachia), having a usually elongated body, eight arms and two tentacles, a reduced or absent internal shell, and a pair of fins.

Octopus

Something, such as a multinational corporation, that has many powerful, centrally controlled branches.

Squid

Any of several carnivorous marine cephalopod mollusks, of the order Teuthida, having a mantle, eight arms, and a pair of tentacles

Octopus

Any of several marine molluscs of the family Octopodidae, having no internal or external protective shell or bone (unlike the nautilus, squid and cuttlefish) and eight arms each covered with suckers.

Squid

A fishhook with a piece of bright lead, bone, or other substance fastened on its shank to imitate a squid.

Octopus

(uncountable) The flesh of these marine molluscs eaten as food.

Squid

A sailor in the Navy.

Octopus

An organization that has many powerful branches controlled from the centre.

Squid

A quid; one pound sterling.
Can you lend me five squid? I feel like a bacon sarnie.

Octopus

To put (or attempt to put) one's fingers, hands or arms in many things or places at roughly the same time.

Squid

A motorcyclist, especially a sport biker, characterized by reckless riding and lack of protective gear.
"In my mind, a street squid is anyone who races on the street. Period."1
"squid: a cocky motorcyclist who darts very aggressively through traffic"2

Octopus

To spread out in long arms or legs in many directions.

Squid

(angling) To fish with the kind of hook called a squid.

Octopus

To plug a large number of devices into a single electric outlet.

Squid

(parachuting) To cause squidding an improper, partial, parachute inflation, that results in the sides of the parachute folding in on the center, and pulsating back and forth.

Octopus

(by extension) To grow in use vastly beyond what was originally intended.

Squid

Any one of numerous species of ten-armed cephalopods having a long, tapered body, and a caudal fin on each side; especially, any species of Loligo, Ommastrephes, and related genera. See Calamary, Decacerata, Dibranchiata.

Octopus

To hunt and catch octopuses.

Squid

A fishhook with a piece of bright lead, bone, or other substance, fastened on its shank to imitate a squid.

Octopus

To behave like an octopus.

Squid

(Italian cuisine) squid prepared as food

Octopus

A genus of eight-armed cephalopods, including numerous species, some of them of large size. See Devilfish.

Squid

Widely distributed fast-moving ten-armed cephalopod mollusk having a long tapered body with triangular tail fins

Octopus

Any member of the genus Octopus.

Octopus

Something resembling an octopus in having numerous controlling arms or branches that reach widely and influence many activities; - used mostly of organizations, such as diversified corporations.

Octopus

Tentacles of octopus prepared as food

Octopus

Bottom-living cephalopod having a soft oval body with eight long tentacles

What is Squid?

Squid is an aquatic cephalopod animal that lives in the salty oceans. Squid prefer to live in the temperate regions and oceans where the water is warm enough. Often squids are mixed with octopi and are considered to be same or thought as kind of octopus. This concept is totally wrong as squids are very much different from octopus and possess their identity, Although squids belong to the same family like octopus and possess the same phylum Mollusca and Class Cephalopoda. But they order is different from octopi. They belong to the order of Teuthida unlike of octopus. Squids, unlike octopi, have a solid structure inside their body, which acts as a flexible bone. It is also referred as the shell of the squids, but it does not have a proper shape that shell usually possesses. Due to its shape that bone structure is termed as a pen. Unlike octopi, squids have two fins on their head, which help them to swim and most probably help them in coming to the surface of water quickly. Squids have eight arms that are sucker lined similarly to the octopi arms, but unlike octopus the squids possess hooks and sucker rings present on them. The squid also possesses two long tentacles on their front that are not present in the octopus. Squid, unlike octopus, use these two long tentacles to catch and kill its prey. Squid eat its food in chunks. Squid prefer to eat fishes and shrimp. Squids like to live in open water spaces and can be found in the surface layer of the ocean as well.

What is Octopus?

Octopus is cephalopod aquatic animals that live in the salty waters and temperate oceans. Octopus prefer to live in the dark deep dens in the oceans. Octopus does not have any shell in their body. They do not have fins and tentacles, unlike squids. Octopus has a round mantle head and eight arms that possess two rows of suckers on them. Octopus catch their prey with their arms and kill it by injecting venom into their body that paralyzes them. The average lifespan of an octopus is 1 to 3 years. Octopi normally range from 1cm to 5m in size.

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