FAMILY : SPIRULIDAE
Spirula spirula Linne 1758

This little shell can be very common on most beaches when the on-shore winds are blowing. It is actually the internal shell of the "Light Tail squid", a squid-like cephalopod that inhabits the deeper water of many of the worlds oceans.They are decapods, with 8 arms and 2 longer tentacles, all with suckers.The animal maintains a vertical position (with the head facing down) by means of gas in the chambers of the shell. It normally goes down 550-700 m. during the day and rises to a depth of about 100-300 m at night. When the animal dies the body decays and the bouyant shell floats to the surface. The living animal is rarely observed and is the only member of the family Spirulidae.

© All images Copyright 2007 Denis Riek. All rights reserved.