Cuttlefish Education

Cuttlefish Cuteness

Hello boys and girls. Today we are going to learn more about the cute and adorable cuddle-fish. No wait, that's cuttlefish.

Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida belonging to the Cephalopoda class (which also include squids, octopuses and nautilus). Although the name suggests it, cuttlefish are not fish, but molluscs.

Cuttlefish have an internal shell, large eyes, and eight arms and two tentacles furnished with denticulated suckers, by means of which they secure their prey.
(From Wikipedia's Cuttlefish page)

Okay, my question was: what is the difference between the arms and the tentacles? Well, apparently when a cuttlefish is close enough to his prey, "it opens apart its eight arms and out shoots two deceptively long feeding tentacle. On the end of each is a pad covered in suckers that grasp hold of the prey and quickly pull it close to the cuttlefish's mouth that looks like a parrot's beak." (From Tonmo.com)

A tame cuttlefish taking food with its tentacles

Also, "the cuttlefish quite often assumes a stance in which it holds two of its arms up above its head" when it is going after prey. (from Birch Aquarium) Now that sounds pretty funky, huh?

[Cuddlefish] are also known for the amazing chromatophores, leucophores and iridophores that change the color of their skin. At any time, half of their body may be one pattern, while the other is completely different pattern. The patterns aren’t necessarily static either, they move, like animation on a TV screen; one pattern is referred to as ‘passing clouds’ because it seems to mimic the shadows of clouds passing overhead – although the pattern is also thought to mesmerize prey. (from Tonmo.com)

In my researching of cuttlefish, I've learned that there are lots of different types, some of which grow to be measured in feet! Yikes! My cuttlefish of choice, however, is the Sepia pharaonis, also known as the Pharaoh cuttlefish. They are found from the Red Sea to Japan and also Australia - so basically I like the Japanese cuttlefish.

Pharaoh cuttlefish

So there is your educational segment for today, boys and girls. I'm sure we will be learning more about the adorable cuttlefish in the future, as well. Especially now that I've found Tonmo.com - the online OctopusNews Magazine.