The bobtail squid is a squid that lives in shallow waters around jetties, seagrass beds or soft/muddy bottoms. They live for around half a year, and adults can grow up to about 7cm long.

They can change colour, with their spots growing larger or smaller depending on their surroundings. They also have a light organ, which is used to hide their shadow when on the hunt, cancelling out the bobtail squid's silhouette. The younger bobtail squids can be quite small and hard to spot, being smaller than a fingernail.