Charlotte County Florida Weekly

Bobtail squid hatchlings thrive at Sanibel’s National Shell Museum


A bobtail squid hatchling at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel Island. COURTESY PHOTO

A bobtail squid hatchling at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel Island. COURTESY PHOTO

The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum recently welcomed a number of healthy bobtail squid hatchlings.

The hatchlings came from a healthy brood stock of hummingbird bobtail squid (Euprymna berryi), as well as a cluster of viable eggs that arrived in July. As the eggs developed, they became yellow and started to expand. Prior to hatching, the eggs became swollen and transparent, with the eyes of the hatchlings becoming visible. Last week, the eggs began to hatch, and healthy bobtail squid hatchlings emerged.

This species has a short paralarval stage, meaning that the hatchlings are planktonic and feed in the water column for a short amount of time before settling onto the substrate. Within 24 hours, they settled on the substrate, eating live mysids (small, shrimp-like crustaceans).

“Having the hatchlings will give the museum staff and guests opportunities to closely follow their growth and the changes that come with it,” said Dr. José H. Leal, National Shell Museum science director and curator.

For the time being, the hatchlings will be kept off display so that aquarists can monitor their behavior and feeding habits. In the meantime, the adult bobtail squid are on display in the Living Gallery.

Located at 3075 Sanibel Captiva Road, Sanibel, the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is the only museum in the United States devoted solely to shells and mollusks. Permanent exhibitions on view include the Great Hall of Shells which displays highlights of the museum’s collection of some 500,000 shells, as well as the Beyond Shells living gallery of aquariums and over 50 species of marine life. For more information, visit www.ShellMuseum.org or call 239-395-2233. ¦

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