Octopus or squid?
How to tell them apart
A squid has eight arms plus two long tentacles and a small internal “pen” for support. An octopus has eight arms and no tentacles.
Quick answers
They differ on 1 of the 8 quick answers: kept as a pet.
| Question | Octopus | Squid |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mollusc | Mollusc |
| Carnivore? | Yes | Yes |
| Dangerous? | Can be | Can be |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? | Night | Night |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? differs | Sometimes | No |
| Do people eat it? | Yes | Yes |
At a glance
| Question | Octopus | Squid |
|---|---|---|
| Found in | Oceans | Oceans |
| Habitat | Open ocean, Coast | Open ocean, Coast |
| Size | Medium | Medium |
| Legs differs | 8 | 10 |
| Covered in | Skin | Skin |
| Lives differs | Alone | In groups |
| Lives for differs | 1–3 years | 1–5 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims | Yes | Yes |
| Lays eggs | Yes | Yes |
About each
Octopus
Eight-armed molluscs, about 300 species, with three hearts and copper-based blood. Over 500 million neurons, about as many as a dog, and two-thirds of them are in the arms.
Everything on the octopus page
Squid
Fast-swimming molluscs with large eyes, eight arms and two long tentacles. Many move by jet propulsion, hunt by sight, and can squirt ink to confuse predators.
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.