[1] The squid is typically found at depths from 50–200 metres (160–660 ft) off the coasts and shelves of Australia and New Zealand, although it can go as deep as 825 meters.

Its skin varies moderately in color, ranging from light pink or brown to brick red, with a dark dorsal stripe on its mantle.

It eats smaller fish, such as barracudas, as well as other squids,[2] and cannibalism has sometimes been observed.

Like many other squid, it is eaten by birds, large fish, sharks, and marine mammals.

[4] However, their population swings, short shelf lives, and variable size make them a difficult squid to catch.