The catalog

Every predator profile

33 ocean hunters, from reef ambushers to deep-sea giants. Filter by group, ocean, habitat, prey or conservation status, then open any profile for the full account.

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Predatory Cephalopods Colossal squid in dark water, showing a stout pale mantle, short thick arms, an enormous dark eye, and hooked clubs at the ends of two tentacles.

Colossal Squid

Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni

The heaviest invertebrate known, a stout Antarctic squid with swiveling hooks on its tentacles and the largest eyes ever measured in an animal.

Length 8.2–15 ft Least Concern
Predatory Cephalopods Giant Pacific octopus on a rocky reef with mottled red-brown skin, raised papillae, and long arms lined with two rows of pale suckers.

Giant Pacific Octopus

Enteroctopus dofleini

The largest octopus known, a cold-water hunter that rewrites the color and texture of its skin and spends its final months guarding one clutch of eggs.

Length 9.8–20 ft Least Concern
Predatory Cephalopods Giant squid in dark water showing a tapered reddish mantle, triangular fins, eight arms and two much longer feeding tentacles ending in clubbed tips.

Giant Squid

Architeuthis dux

A deep-water squid with the longest reach of any invertebrate, known mostly from strandings, sperm whale stomach contents and a few deep-sea encounters.

Length 16–43 ft Least Concern
Predatory Cephalopods Humboldt squid in open water with a muscular reddish mantle, triangular fins, ten arms and tentacles spread wide, and pale bands flickering across the skin.

Humboldt Squid

Dosidicus gigas

A fast-growing eastern Pacific squid that hunts in shifting groups, flickers red and white while feeding, and supports the largest invertebrate fishery on Earth.

Length 2–6.6 ft Data Deficient