CUDDLEFISH OR CUTTLEFISH?
If we asked you to picture a cuttlefish you’d probably think soft, cute, and cuddly right? Well, you’ll have to put those assumptions away because our species here is slippery, camouflaged, and has alien-like tentacles. This little sea creature has the unique ability to blend into its surrounding environment by expanding and compressing ink sacs.
The Cuttlefish, or Sepia officinalis, belongs to the family Sepiidae. Within the Sepiidae family there can be a significant amount of cephalopods. Animals from a very old branch on the tree of life, cephalopods have been active in the world's oceans for more than 500 million years. This gives the Cuttlefish plenty of time to develop and perfect their strategies when it comes to survival. With so many different environments and newly developing predators like sharks and some fish, the more modern species of cuttlefish have been led down the path of camouflage. With only a known 120 unique cuttlefish species scattering the globe, it would be likely we soon see newer species the more we explore the world’s oceans. The phylogenetic tree below displays the origins of Sepiidae and the organisms that are most closely related to them.
Through evolution, there are now over 120 different species and have developed unique traits such as camouflage, increased intelligence, and specialized eyes. To perform their camouflage, they possess chromatophores and photophores to emit bioluminescent colors to capture prey and avoid predators. Below I have attached a video that displays the remarkable ability of cuttlefish to camouflage to their surroundings.
As for their intelligence, they have evolved to have the highest brain-to-body mass ratio of all invertebrates. WOW! Studies have shown that these amazing creatures possess the skills for “problem solving capabilities, dexterity, calculated predation techniques, complex communication, and the ability to use tools.” Another fascinating specialization that cuttlefish possess are their eyes. Despite being colorblind, University of Bristol has reported that cuttlefish have the most acute polarization vision of any animal. The researchers found that the cuttlefish could determine differences of color change as low as one degree differences. Using polarization sensitivity techniques, they use the contrast of colors to obtain the precision of high level visual acuity.
The great abundance of cuttlefish species means that there are numerous environments that can serve as home to them, and surprisingly, they span numerous regions of the world and multiple hemispheres. They can be found in the Meditteranean, North, and Baltic Seas as well as in the Indian Ocean stretching down to South Africa and out to Australia. The varying environmental conditions of these locations reveals how Cuttlefish can survive in cold and tropical waters. They typically inhabit coastal waters during the summer and spring and are most likely to breed during this time. In the winter they will relocate to deeper waters.
The cuttlefish originally predated sharks and fish which have ironically developed into becoming two of their predators. Other predators of the Cuttlefish include dolphins, seals, seabirds and rival cuttlefish. Cuttlefish typically inhabit a wide range of aquatic environments from shallow reefs to the deepest ocean trenches. They typically live one to two years growing at around a kilogram a year feeding on small fish, crustaceans, mollusks and marine worms. Some individuals reach as large as ten kilograms. This fast growth rate means the species conserves energy by staying sedentary. In fact, the species spend 95% of their life span in one place. To feed, they shoot out feeding tentacles armed with suction cups ensnaring their prey. Cuttlefish can camouflage their body color, spray ink at predators, or bury themselves in the seafloor for self-defense. Males often have a bright color display during mating season.
Overall, these sea creatures are remarkable in what they can achieve and the fascinating structures that they possess. In our subsequent posts, we will be furthering our exploration on the cuttlefish so subscribe to keep up with our posts!
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