Squids are carnivorous mollusks belonging to the same class as the cuttlefish, and octopus. The body of squids, stiffened by an interior cartilaginous skeleton, is spherical or cigar-shaped, with two lateral fins. Around the mouth are eight sucker-bearing arms and two contractile tentacles with spatulate tips; on the latter are four rows of suction cups encircled by rings of chitinous (horny) hooks. The contractile tentacles, longer than the rest, are used to seize the prey and pass it to the shorter arms, which hold it to be torn by strong jaws shaped like a parrot’s beak. Squid can swim faster than any other invertebrate by rapidly expelling water from the mantle cavity through the "funnel". Many deep-sea squid are bioluminescent. They shoot out a cloud of dark ink when pursued; one genus secretes luminescent ink.
- carnivorous [kɑ:ˈnivərəs] adj.(动物)食肉的
- mollusk [ˈmɔləsk] n.软体动物
- cuttlefish [ˈkʌtlfiʃ] n.乌贼, 墨鱼
- octopus [ˈɔktəpəs] n.章鱼
- stiffen [ˈstifn] v.(使)变硬
- interior [inˈtiəriə] adj.内部的,内地的
- cartilaginous [ˌkɑ:tiˈlædʒinəs] adj.软骨的,软骨质的
- spherical [ˈsferikəl] adj.球形的
- cigar-shaped [siˈɡɑ: - ʃeipt] adj. 雪茄形的
- lateral fin [ˈlætərəl - fin] n.侧鳍
- sucker-bearing [ˈsʌkə - ˈbɛəriŋ] adj. 长着吸盘的
- contractile [kənˈtræktail] adj.会缩的
- tentacle [ˈtentəkl] n. 触角, 触须
- spatulate [ˈspætjulit] adj.竹片状的
- row [rəu] n.一排, 一行
- suction cup [ˈsʌkʃən - kʌp] n.吸盘
- chitinous [ˈkaitinəs] adj.壳质的
- horny [ˈhɔ:ni] adj. 角状的
- seize [si:z] v.抓住, 捉住
- prey [prei] n. 被掠食者，战利品
- torn [tɔ:n] n.(tear的过去分词)撕
- jaw [dʒɔ:] n.颌, 颚
- parrot [ˈpærət] n.鹦鹉
- invertebrate [inˈvə:tibrət] n.无脊椎动物
- expel [iksˈpel] v. 喷出， 发射
- mantle cavity [ˈmæntl - ˈkæviti] n.外套腔
- funnel [ˈfʌnl] n.漏斗
- bioluminescent [baiəuˌlu:miˈnesnt] adj. 发(冷)光的
- pursue [pəˈsju:] v.追捕, 追击
- genus [ˈdʒi:nəs] n. 种, 类
- secrete [siˈkri:t] v.分泌
