The elements in the hard tissues of organisms are important natural markers for reconstructing their life history and habitat. The present study aimed to explore the changes in the elements present inside the statolith core and edge of Argentine shortfin squid (Illex argentinus) by using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The element content was determined in the core and edge of statoliths, and the ratios of Sr, Ba, Mg, Mn to Ca were analyzed. Thereafter, mixed-effects models were used to analyze the relationship between these four elements and Ca ratios in the edge and core of statoliths. Ba/Ca values were found significant differences in the core of statoliths between female and male individuals, so did in the edge of statoliths. Significant differences were also observed in the Ba/Ca values of statolith core among different hatching months. Additionally, in male individuals, the Ba/Ca values in the statolith edge exhibited notable variations across different sampling months. The Sr/Ca values in the core of statoliths and the Ba/Ca values in the edge showed significant differences between different sampling latitudinal centroids. The Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca, and Mg/Ca values in the core of statoliths were significantly higher than the corresponding element ratios in the edge, while no significant difference was observed in the Mn/Ca values between the core and edge of statoliths. The results of the mixed-effects model showed that there was no relationship between the element ratios in the edge of statoliths and the corresponding element ratios in the core for females, whereas the Ba/Ca and Mn/Ca values in the edge of statoliths increased with the increasing Ba/Ca and Mn/Ca values in the core for males. These findings suggest notable variations in Sr, Ba, and Mg elements between the core and edge of I. argentinus statoliths. Additionally, they highlight sex-specific differences, specifically in the Ba element. This study provides a basis for further revealing the environmental selection adaptability and life history of I. argentinus and can provide data reference for mastering the species resource fluctuations.