![]() ![]() Cephalopod ink is believed to have many beneficial health effects including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activity, antimicrobial and potential anticancer properties, and anti-hypertensive and anti-retroviral activity. ![]() Sepia officinalis is also growing in popularity as a foodstuff because it has a similar taste to octopus and squid and is a good source of healthy proteins and lipids. ![]() Their cuttlebones are commonly sold in the pet bird industry because they provide a good source of calcium, help keep a bird's beak trimmed, improve jaw strength, and provide entertainment for the bird. Cuttlefish have many uses which makes them a popular catch. Although it is fished extensively and wild stocks in some regions are close to being over-exploited, population numbers are not declining so the species is of Least Concern on the list of threatened species. Sepia officinalis is a species that is commonly fished in the Mediterranean, including countries like Greece and Spain. These complex camouflage abilities are not just present in adult cuttlefish, but cuttlefish juveniles also have these complicated characteristics, which allows them to be able to camouflage from a young age. Their camouflaging abilities are categorized into four main types including mottle, stipple, uniform, and disruptive. These specialized characteristics give them the ability to not only change their colour, but also change the texture appearance of their skin and all of this is done despite them being colour-blind. Cuttlefish are well known for their unmatched camouflaging abilities which are possible due to light scattering leucophores, pigmented chromatophore organs, and structurally reflecting iridophores all located in their skin. The common cuttlefish has two highly developed eyes, eight arms which are located around the mouth and are used to hold and move prey, two tentacles which are used to quickly capture prey, and a radula which is used to tear and rip apart any prey they have captured. The mantle houses the reproductive and digestive tracts of the cuttlefish and is also home to an internal shell called the cuttlebone. The common cuttlefish is one of the largest species of cuttlefish with their mantles (does not include their head and arms) reaching upwards of 45 cm. ![]() Cuttlefish are carnivorous and eat a variety of organisms including crustaceans (crabs and shrimp), small fish, molluscs (clams and snails), and sometimes other cuttlefish which is more commonly seen when the abundance of other prey is low. At night however, they are actively searching for prey and can ambush them from under the substrate. Diet ĭuring the day, most cuttlefish can be found buried below the substrate and fairly inactive. officinalis usually prefer shrimp to crabs, but when the embryos were exposed to crabs and the embryos had hatched, the young cuttlefish switched preferences and proceeded to hunt the crabs more often than the shrimp. crabs), will hunt primarily for that prey in later life. officinalis revealed that cuttlefish embryos, if visually exposed to a certain species of prey (e.g. They have many defensive mechanisms to help protect them from predators including a siphon which they can use to shoot water out of to propel them away from danger, ink which can distract and disorient a predator as the cuttlefish escapes, and their camouflage abilities which can help them avoid predators altogether. The common cuttlefish is one of the largest and best-known cuttlefish species.Ĭuttlefish only have a lifespan of 1–2 years (captive and wild) and have many predators including sharks, dolphins, seals, fish, and cephalopods which includes other cuttlefish. ![]()
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