Bobtail squid (order
Sepiolida) are a group of
cephalopods closely related to
cuttlefish. Bobtail squid tend to have a rounder
mantle than cuttlefish and have no
cuttlebone. They have eight suckered arms and two tentacles and are generally quite small (typical male mantle length being between 1 and 8 cm). Sepiolids live in shallow coastal waters of the
Pacific Ocean and some parts of the
Indian Ocean as well as in shallow waters on the west coast of the
Cape Peninsula off South Africa. Like cuttlefish, they can swim by either using the
fins on their mantle or by jet propulsion. They are also known as
dumpling squid (owing to their rounded mantle) or
stubby squid.