Flamboyant Cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi) by Samantha Craven
This is the only cuttlefish known to walk on the seafloor. It’s tiny cuttlebone size means that it can’t float for very long. It’s mesmerizing colours are aposematic - indicating that it is poisonous.
A truly beautiful underwater birth…
Is there anything cuter than a Flamboyant Cuttlefish that small?
montereybayaquarium: What does a Flamboyant Cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi) look like when it’s five hours old? Check it out! Our husbandry staff is working with this species behind the scenes for possible exhibit one day.
Siphon of an adult Metasepia pfefferi
Newly hatched Flamboyant Cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi)
Copulation in this species occurs face-to-face, with the male inserting a packet of sperm into a pouch on the underside of the female’s mantle. The female then fertilises her eggs with the sperm. The eggs are laid singly and placed by the female in crevices or ledges in coral, rock, or wood.
Freshly laid eggs are white, but slowly turn translucent with time, making the developing cuttlefish clearly visible. From birth, juvenile M. pfefferi are capable of the same camouflage patterns as adults.
On the subject of Cephalopods…this is my bestest. The flamboyant cuttlefish. Changes colours, WALKS (that’s right) and shoots a harpoon out it’s mouth to catch prey. Fucking A.
Took this picture on “the best dive of my life” in Manado, Indonesia. If you dive, you must, must, try black sand diving. It’s the shizzle.
A newly-hatched flamboyant cuttlefish poses next to its sibling, still in its egg. Lembeh Strait, Photo by Jason Isley
