Dissecting squid can be hard work

The 7th grade jumped right into hands-on science at the beginning of the year with squid dissection as part of an Ecology block in Marine and Life Science on Friday, September 6. Ms. Scottie Mobley tasked them with finding the three "hard parts" of the squid, which you wouldn't think is so tricky given that squid, like the octopus, is soft-bodied. However, it was challenging as this was the first dissection for many students including Yasmeen Aubrey, who recalled, "It was kinda gross–there was squid juice everywhere!"  She went on to say, "Finding the lens, beak, and pen was pretty easy but separating them was harder." 

Squid are cephalopods and have elongated bodies, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles. They are intelligent and versatile–able to make their homes in a variety of marine environments. Their "hard parts" are evolutionary adaptations which helped amplify the lesson on changing ecosystems and the need for organisms to modify to survive. Ms. Mobley applauded her students and said, "They enjoyed learning more about this creature who lives in our local marine waters."