cuttlefish

(plural: ‘cuttlefishes‘ or the same spelling and pronunciation — ‘cuttlefish’ — for the right pronunciation, please click here)

a cuttlefish

a kind of sea animal – mollusc – related to the octopus and squid and the garden snail or slug; a flat body with a large flat head from which eight long arms and two longer tentacles grow; sharp parrot-beak-like mouth with sharp teeth and rough tongue; thin fins round the body; feeds on (eats) crabs, fish and shrimps; sizes vary greatly – the smallest 3 inches to the longest 6 feet, but on average 3 feet; accordingly the weight also varies greatly, but on average 5 Kg.; lives for 2-3 years; about 120 species, found in most of the waters of the world, except the American waters,

Special Features:

Cuttlefish are fascinating animals!

Everything about these animals is amazing.

Though the name suggests ‘cuttlefish’, they are not fish; they are molluscs/mollusks, e.g. snails, octopuses, squid, etc.

2. Cuttlefish are the one of the most intelligent of the molluscs/mollusks (invertebrates)

3. They have a very curious body shape: arms growing from the head!

4. Cuttlefish are better known for their gas filled inner bone called ‘cuttlebone’ used by the cuttlefish for keeping itself afloat in water, and used by people as a calcium supplement to their pet parrots, and as an exercise toy in the bird cages for the bird to exercise its beak and jaw muscles. Cuttlefish use the jet propulsion and can swim backwards. They use the technique used in the ‘submarines’ for going up and down.

Cuttlebones are also used by jewellers and silversmiths as moulds for casting small objects!

As the ‘cuttlefish’ is not a fish at all, the ‘cuttlebone’ is not a bone but a shell made of calcium that grows inside the cuttlefish.

5. A cuttlefish has three heats – one for each gill part and one for the body!

6. The colour of cuttlefish’s blood is not red, but green-blue!

7. Cuttlefish eyes are one of the most developed eyes in the animal kingdom! They can change the shape of the eye to have a better focus.

cuttlefish as food

8. They are called the ‘chameleon of the sea’ because, like the chameleon (a kind of lizard) they can change the colour of their body instantly at will, and to different colours to escape form the enemies and/or to show their emotions!

9. They have several escape ways from their predators, one being the colour change and the other one is to squirt or spew or eject a kind of brown foul ‘ink’ making the place cloudy, called “sepia”, which confuses the predator and gives a chance to the cuttlefish to escape. This ‘ink’ substance was used as a dye in the paints in the past.

10. Cuttlefish are hunted for food in many parts of the world, and also kept as pets.

Figures of Speech:
as cunning as a cuttle (cuttlefish)

To know more about the cuttlefish, please click here. For an article that shows the difference between a cuttlefish and a squid, please click here.