Reef Cephalopods Codexery

Cuttlefish

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Cuttlefish

Vicmicallef · via Wikipedia: Cuttlefish · CC BY-SA 4.0

Marine molluscs belonging to the family Sepiidae are called cuttlefish.[1] For buoyancy regulation, cuttlefish possess a distinctive internal shell referred to as the cuttlebone.[1] Typical cuttlefish body length falls between 15 and 25 cm; the giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama) can achieve a mantle length of 50 cm and a mass exceeding 10.5 kg.[1] Cuttlefish generally live for about 1 to 2 years.[2]

Key facts and history

One hundred sixteen species of cuttlefish are currently recognized, with classification historically relying on the genera Metasepia, Sepia, and Sepiella.[3] A 2023 paper recovered Sepia as containing several monophyletic clades, leading to the revival of synonymized genera and elevation of some subgenera.[4] Their blood is green-blue because it uses the copper-containing protein hemocyanin to carry oxygen, and is pumped by three separate hearts.[5] They can rapidly alter skin color and pattern, sometimes called the "chameleons of the sea," using chromatophores, iridophores, and leucophores.[6][7][8]

Fossil evidence for the earliest cuttlefish comes from the end of the Cretaceous, specifically the species Ceratisepia found in the Late Maastrichtian Maastricht Formation located in the Netherlands.[9] Cuttlefish are equipped with eight arms plus two longer tentacles that feature denticulated suckers for capturing prey.[1][10] Among invertebrates, cuttlefish are considered highly intelligent and possess a brain-to-body size ratio that is one of the largest.[2] The cuttlebone, a structure made of aragonite and exclusive to cuttlefish, has pores that allow the animal to manage buoyancy by altering the gas-to-liquid ratio within it.[11][12]

What the cited sources add

A Harvard-MBL team reported that cuttlefish chromatophores contain luminescent protein nanostructures enabling quick and elaborate skin pigmentation changes, with surface area expanding up to 500 percent.[7] The cuttlefish relies on a vertically arranged assembly of leucophore, iridophore, and chromatophore components to regulate its color.[7] A 2008 BBC News article states that cuttlefish embryos have fully developed eyes and can peer out of their eggs to spot potential prey before hatching.[13] A 2020 CNN article describes that researchers demonstrated cuttlefish use stereopsis—computing distance from both eyes—by attaching 3D glasses to the animals and playing video of shrimp on a screen in front of their tank.[14]

The BBC article reports that cuttlefish embryos exposed to crabs before hatching later preferred crabs as prey, while those not exposed to crabs preferred to hunt shrimp.[13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Cuttlefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Reid, A., P. Jereb, & C. F. E. Roper (2005). "Family Sepiidae". In: P. Jereb & C. F. E. Roper, eds. Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catal (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Cuttlefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "NOVA Kings of Camouflage PBS", www.pbs.org; "NOVA Kings of Camouflage PBS", www.pbs.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Cuttlefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sepiidae Leach, 1817", marinespecies.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Cuttlefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lupše, "Cuttlefishes (Cephalopoda, Sepiidae): the bare bones—an hypothesis of relationships", Marine Biology, 16 June 2023, p. 93 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Cuttlefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fowler, "Mollusks and Annelids", BCcampus Open Publishing, 2013-04-25 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Cuttlefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hough, "Learned control of body patterning in cuttlefish Sepia officinalis (Cephalopoda)", Journal of Molluscan Studies, 2016, p. 427–431 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Karoff, "'Chameleon of the sea' reveals its secrets", Harvard University, 2014. facts only, no text reused. seas.harvard.edu
  8. Wikipedia, "Cuttlefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Messenger, "Cephalopod chromatophores: neurobiology and natural history", Biological Reviews, 2001, p. 473–528; "NOVA | Kings of Camouflage | Anatomy of a Cuttlefish". PBS. Retrieved 19 September 2013. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Cuttlefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Whiteaves, "On some remains of a Sepia-like cuttle-fish from the Cretaceous rocks of the South Saskatchewan", The Canadian Record of Science, 1897, p. 459–462; Hewitt, "The preservation of the shells of Sepia in the middle Miocene of Malta", Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 1978, p. 227–237; "Maastrichtian Ceratisepia and Mesozoic cuttlebone homeomorphs - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica", www.app.pan.pl; Fuchs, "Glyphiteuthis rhinophora n. sp., a trachyteuthidid (Coleoidea, Cephalopoda) from the Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) of Mexic en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Cuttlefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sepia bandensis: husbandry and breeding", The Octopus News Magazine Online, 8 March 2019; Karson, "Experimental evidence for spatial learning in cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)", Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2003, p. 149–155 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Cuttlefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Checa, "The shell structure and chamber production cycle of the cephalopod Spirula (Coleoidea, Decabrachia)", Marine Biology, October 12, 2022, p. 132; Rexfort, "Stable isotope records from Sepia officinalis—a key to understanding the ecology of belemnites?", Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2006, p. 212 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Cuttlefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Staaf, "Squid Empire: The Rise and Fall of the Cephalopods", University Press of New England, 2017, p. 112– (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  13. "Cuttlefish spot target prey early", BBC News, 2008-06-05. facts only, no text reused. news.bbc.co.uk
  14. Prior, "Scientists put 3D glasses on cuttlefish and showed them film clips. The results were surprising", CNN, 9 January 2020. facts only, no text reused. cnn.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Cuttlefish (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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