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Breeding and Maturation: Male cuttlefish often fight for dominance, usually at their den sites. The females have a pouch beneath their mouth into which the male deposits his sperm capsule. Here the capsule bursts and sperm spreads into the female’s mantel, where the eggs are. The females then lay their eggs in a cave. The eggs hatch in approximately four months, after having fed the entire time on the yolk in the egg. The one-inch hatchlings emerge by using the brush-like patch on their tails to open the egg casing. They hide in sand, rocks or kelp to survive the extreme predation in their ocean environment.
The lifespan of cuttlefish depends on the species. Females usually die shortly after egg-laying. The giant cuttlefish lives for 2-3 years; European cuttlefish live for only 6-16 months.
Diet: Mollusks, crabs, shrimp, fish, and other cuttlefish.
Conservation Notes/Status: Cuttlefish are not high on the list of endangered species and there is not a great deal of data on their population numbers. Because of their short life span and spawning only once in a lifetime, the threats of overfishing are obvious. Currently there are no management restrictions in place to limit the number of cuttlefish that can be taken, but there is pressure to add the giant cuttlefish found in Australian waters to the endangered species list.
Miscellaneous: The cuttlebone is the porous internal shell inside of the cuttlefish that helps control buoyancy. It is rich in calcium and is often sold in pet stores as a nutritional supplement for birds.
Animals that prey on cuttlefish include sharks, dolphins, and humans.
Cuttlefish require excellent water quality because they eat a lot, therefore producing a lot of ammonia and ink waste.
They are intolerant of heavy metals and are sensitive to ozonation.
Interesting Facts:
• Often cuttlefish lose an arm during battle or when escaping a predator. Cuttlefish can regenerate their arms.
• If more than one cuttlefish exists in an exhibit, they must be fed every day or cannibalism will occur.
• The eight arms are specialized for grasping prey after a cuttlefish captures it with its two elongated tentacles. When a potential food source comes near, the cuttlefish can alter the color of its skin while waving its arms in a mesmerizing display. Prey may than come within reach of the cuttlefish’s tentacles, which can then shoot rapidly from a pocket at the base of the arms to grab the prey. Arms are also important for defense when the cuttlefish will spread its arms in order to appear larger to its potential enemy.
• Cuttlefish can change their color or pattern almost instantly. They use this to communicate threats of courtship messages. The cuttlefish can also use muscles in its skin texture from smooth to rough.
• The cuttlefish has three hearts, with two pumping blood to its large gills and one circulating the oxygenated blood to the rest of its body. The blood is blue-green in color because it has hemocyanin, a copper-containing protein that transports oxygen throughout their bodies.
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