live for just over a year, and due to its high growth rate, it reaches maturity at around 200 days. The arrow squid has a short lifespan, rapid growth and development, and ability to have their appearance molded. Their population is made up of new individuals each year. At the cellular level of the arrow squid, growth occurs over their entire lifespan by excessive growth and abnormal increase in the number of cells. Arrow squids have exceptionally high growth efficiency, with a protein-based metabolism that rapidly converts energy into growth. They store very little if any of their food energy. The metabolic and growth rates of squid are very high in fact they may be as high as some mammals. N. sloanii displays high intraspecific variability in areas such as egg size and rates of embryonic development, hatchling size, growth, age and size at maturity. Their changing appearances along with their short lifespan and rapid growth rates allows the squid to be extremely responsive to changing environmental conditions. They are also able to move over considerable distances leading to them having unpredictable and complex patterns of distribution. References Cephalopods described in 1849 Cephalopods of Oceania Endemic fauna of New Zealand Endemic molluscs of New Zealand Molluscs of New Zealand Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean sloanii Taxa named by John Edward Gray