• A member of the Gonatidae family, Gonatus Onyx is a squid species that inhabits the northern Pacific Ocean, ranging from Japan to California.
• It belongs to the class Cephalopoda and the phylum Mollusca.
• It has two common names: the Clawed arm hook squid and the Black-eyed squid.
• These names reflect its distinctive features: a pair of long arms with large hooks and suckers, and a pair of black eyes that help it hunt in the dark.
• The mantle of Gonatus Onyx can grow up to 18cm long, and accounts for most of its body length. The arms are about 40mm long on average. The mantle also has small fins and a blunt tail, unlike other Gonatids.
• Gonatus Onyx is sexually dimorphic, with females maturing faster and growing slightly larger than males.
• This squid moves by jet propulsion, using water ejected from a siphon and fin movements. It lives mostly in deep waters, but ascends during the day to feed.
• It is one of the most abundant cephalopods off the coast of California.
• The juvenile Gonatus Onyx uses ink as a defense mechanism and as a propellant, while the adult Gonatus Onyx rarely uses ink and relies on faster jet propulsion.