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Biology

The Mechanics of Jet Propulsion in Squid and Its Energetics

Quick fact

To escape predators, some squid can accelerate from rest to over 20 body lengths per second in a fraction of a second, but the jet that powers this burst is so costly that they may need several minutes to recover before they can do it again.

Why this is interesting

Imagine if you had to move by blowing up a balloon and letting it zip across the room. Squid do exactly that, but with a highly tuned muscular system that makes them some of the fastest swimmers in the ocean—yet it comes at a steep price.