The baby 'cannibal squid' born in Britain for the first time (and so dangerous to its siblings it has be constantly monitored )



Just one in 100 Japanese Bigfin squid survive in the wild

SeaLife Centre in Weymouth, Dorset built special alarmed tank for the cephalopods

Baby 'cannibal squid' have been successfully bred at an aquarium in Britain for the first time.



The tiny cephalopods are notoriously hard to rear because they outgrow food sources quickly, have a cannabilistic nature and need specific water requirements.



Just one in 100 of the Japanese Bigfin squid survive in the wild so experts gathered double that number of eggs from the Pacific Ocean when they tried to breed them in the UK.



Baby squid have been successfully bred at an aquarium for the first time ever in Britain. Here, the baby produces ink as a defence mechanism.

BIGFIN REEF SQUID Japanese Bigfin Reef Squid - Sepioteuthis lessonian in Latin - are notoriously hard to rear. They outgrow food sources quickly, have a cannabilistic nature and need specific water requirement . The squid only live for six months and in that time will grow to just over 1ft. They are widely eaten, and often used in sushi.



Out of the 200 eggs that hatched 35 of the little creatures have gone on to survive in a special alarmed tank that alerts keepers to any problems.



They have since grown from a tiny 2mm to just over an inch.

The Japanese Bigfin Reef Squid - Sepioteuthis lessonian in Latin - grow so quickly that their demand for food is incredibly difficult to keep up with.

They survive on plankton and tiny shrimp but are known to eat one another should they become hungry enough.



Aquarists at the SeaLife Centre in Weymouth, Dorset, have created a system of tanks so that the bigger squid can be separated from the others in an attempt to avoid this.



The squid only live for six months and in that time will grow to just over 1ft.



Greg Casten, an aquarist at SeaLife, said: 'There is a long way to go and we will undoubtedly lose a few more yet.



A tiny baby squid next to a pipette. The tiny Japanese Bigfin Reef Squid are notoriously hard to rear because they outgrow food sources quickly, and have a cannibalistic nature.

'But with 35 having made it through the delicate first few weeks the chances that we'll get some through to maturity are very good.



'They flourish best in small groups, but are also notorious cannibals, so I have to monitor them carefully and separate any that fail to grow as quick as the rest.



'Our goal is to complete the lifecyle, to rear enough adults to produce more eggs, and then rear a second generation.



'All of this will be done behind-the-scenes in quarantine tanks with water flow systems that prevent the squid touching the sides and potentially damaging their delicate bodies.



'The next stage will then be to develop suitable clear tanks for them which will enable us to display these amazing creatures.'

A baby squid produces ink, a type of protein, as a defence mechanism. The squid only live for six months and in that time will grow to 1.1 feet.

35 of the cephalopods have survived in a special alarmed tank at the Sealife Centre in Weymouth, Dorset, that alerts keepers to any problems.



