Bigfin Reef Squid

Schools of bigfin reef squid hover above the Chapel Point reef at dusk and dawn, communicating via rapid waves of iridescent color across their mantles. They are active hunters of small fish and crustaceans, and their transparent bodies make the internal light-organ pulses visible during courtship displays. Night dives at Chapel Point reveal squid actively hunting in the torchlight, a very different behavioral mode from the cautious daytime hover. They are short-lived — most individuals complete their life cycle in under a year — making population turnover rapid.