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Sepiida
Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda (which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses). Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs. Cuttlefish have an internal shell (the cuttlebone), large W-shaped pupils, eight arms and two tentacles furnished with denticulated suckers, with which they secure their prey. They generally range in size from 15 cm (5.9 in) to 25 cm (9.8 in), with the largest species, Sepia apama, reaching 50 cm (20 in) in mantle length and over 10.5 kg (23 lb) in weight. Cuttlefish eat small molluscs, crabs, shrimp, fish, octopuses, worms, and other cuttlefish. Their predators include dolphins, sharks, fish, seals, seabirds and other cuttlefish. Their life expectancy is about one to two years. Recent studies indicate that cuttlefish are among the most intelligent invertebrates. Cuttlefish also have one of the largest brain-to-body size ratios of all invertebrates. They can also rapidly change color to camouflage with surrounding environment.
this was taken at the academy of sciences in san fran. this little guy was super cool because as soon as i walked up to him he started following me and checking me out, trying to figure out what i was no doubt. also even tho the colors vary from picture to picture, it is the same cuttlefish.
7 Comments
yeah i bet. be a while before i get there!
They're even a lot more interesting to watch in the wild, Joshua, especially on night dives!
thanks man! yeah at the new academy of sciences in san francisco, CA. got a long way before i do actual underwater shots tho haha
Nice photos, Joshua! This cuttlefish was in an aquarium?
thanks ava :)
You might like to add this to the new Mollusk mission http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/1214...
Hi JoshuaAsel. Since cuttlefish are molluscs, I've moved your spotting from the Fish category to the Other category. This is a lovely spotting (I like picture #3 best), and they are brilliant creatures.