Idioteuthis cordiformis is a species of whip-lash squid found in tropical regions of the west Pacific Ocean.

Recently, this species has been found to consume small birdbeak dogfish.

In life, these animals appear dark red or purple [5] Like all squids, it has eight arms.

The dark red or purple pigment is found in densely packed chromatophores but there are no photophores present on the skin.

[8] Idioteuthis cordiformis is found in tropical waters around Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines.