Cuttlefish

ID points

• A wavy skirt-like fin running around both sides of the body
• Skin patterns flow across the body as fast as a screen
• Besides the eight arms there are two long tentacles it can shoot out

Basics

Family

Sepiidae

Length

15–50 cm

Depth

0-200 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic · Temperate & polar

Distribution

Temperate to tropical shallow seas worldwide

Habitat

Shallow seagrass beds and reefs

Diet

Shrimp and crabs, small fish

Easily confused with

Flamboyant CuttlefishWaves of purple-red, yellow and white light roll across the skinBigfin Reef SquidBroad fins along both sides, running almost the whole length of the mantleLeafy SeadragonLeaf-shaped skin flaps all over the body, looking like seaweed

Fun fact

A cuttlefish has a strange W-shaped pupil, and the pigment cells and reflecting cells in its skin let it change colour and texture within 300 milliseconds. Its blood is blue-green because it carries copper-based haemocyanin, and inside its body sits a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone.