As part of the Cephalopod class of Molluscs, these organisms exhibit specific characteristics to help them in their environment, such as tentacles for movement and feeding and color pigments that reflect their behavioral conditions.

The reef squid is included in the monophyletic family Loliginidae, which houses a discovered twenty-six species.

New hatchlings tend to reside close to the shore in areas from 0.2 to 1 metre (1 to 3 ft) below the surface on or under vegetation.

Young small squid typically congregate in shallow turtle grass near islands and remain several centimeters to two meters from the surface to avoid bird predators.

They are also found around Brazilian reef habitats, due to a symbiotic relationship in which the squid protect juvenile fish from open-ocean predators.

Prey is caught using the club-like end of the long tentacles which are then pulled towards the mouth supported by the shorter arms.

Like other cephalopods, it has a strong beak which it uses to cut the prey into parts so that the raspy tongue, or radula, can be used to further process the food.

[8] In addition to camouflage and appearing larger in the face of a threat, squids use color, patterns, and flashing to communicate with one another in various courtship rituals.