Loligo vulgaris is common around the shelves and coastal waters of the eastern North Atlantic and in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas. Squid normally drift at depths of 20 – 50 m, but may descend to depths of up to 500 m. The squid has a cylindrical body shape with diamond-shaped fins that are two-thirds the length of the mantle. It has ten tentacles, two of which are noticeably longer than the others and are used to capture prey. The normal length of a squid including the tentacles is 50 cm. The squid is preferably caught in the dark and in deeper waters.