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Cuttlefish

Sepiida

Cuttlefish are marine cephalopod mollusks related to squid and octopuses. They have a somewhat flattened body with narrow fins along the mantle, eight arms plus two longer, retractable tentacles for striking prey, and a distinctive internal shell called the cuttlebone that helps them control buoyancy. Most cuttlefish live in tropical or temperate coastal waters and are commonly seafloor dwellers over sandy, muddy, or rocky bottoms. They are active predators that feed mainly on crustaceans and small fish. Cuttlefish are also famous for rapid camouflage and signaling, using chromatophores (pigmented skin cells) to produce fast color-and-pattern changes for hiding, hunting, and courtship.

Cuttlefish are marine cephalopod mollusks related to squid and octopuses. They have a somewhat flattened body with narrow fins along the mantle, eight arms plus two longer, retractable tentacles for striking prey, and a distinctive internal shell called the cuttlebone that helps them control buoyancy. Most cuttlefish live in tropical or temperate coastal waters and are commonly seafloor dwellers over sandy, muddy, or rocky bottoms. They are active predators that feed mainly on crustaceans and small fish. Cuttlefish are also famous for rapid camouflage and signaling, using chromatophores (pigmented skin cells) to produce fast color-and-pattern changes for hiding, hunting, and courtship.