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Description:
Found in the temperate waters off the coast of Europe, the Mediterranean, and the east coast of Africa. Largest is four feet in length. Cuttlefish have 10 appendages: eight arms with sucker-like discs on the underside of each and two hidden tentacles which are kept in pouches just beneath their arms most of the time. Cuttlefish also have a sharp beak underneath all of those arms, as well as a raspy tongue. The two long tentacles shoot out and grab prey, and the eight arms hold it to the mouth where the sharp beak cracks away at the shell and the raspy tongue scrapes out the meat.
Habits and Adaptations:
As cephalopods, cuttlefish have highly developed brains. One of their best senses is vision. Cuttlefish change the shape of their eyeballs in order to focus, and have lenses similar to our own. They have eyelids, which help to filter out light. They are attracted to bright colors, and can change their own colors quite fluidly. Cuttlefish possess a dense layer of chromatophores just under their skin which allows them to interchangeably modify their pattern from solids to stripes for better camouflage. Cuttlefish often emit an ink cloud to distract predators, burrow in sand or mud, or use jet-propulsion to escape danger. They are very shy and solitary. Cuttlefish communicate by changing colors, as well as by using their arms or body postures. Color patterns are species and sex specific.
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