behaviour may occur during long distance migrations in order to conserve energy. Female Sthenoteuthis pteropus mature in two different size ranges, at mantle lengths of and . In mature individuals, spawning takes place intermittently, up to a million ripe eggs with a diameter of about being present in the ovaries at any one time as well as a large number of immature oocytes. This seems consistent with a reproductive strategy consisting of producing large numbers of very small eggs, a long period of sporadic spawning and a continuation of feeding and growth by the female while breeding. This is a fast-growing species of squid. Juveniles reach a length of about in one hundred days. The life expectancy of females is under a year while males live for one or two months less than this. References Squid Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean Gliding animals Cephalopods of South America Marine molluscs of Africa Cephalopods described in 1855