Adventure Aquarium’s husbandry team recently added a new Cuttlefish species to KidZone (Zone C). Called Pharaoh Cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis), these crazy-looking creatures are native to the western Indian Ocean, including the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.
Cuttlefish, as their name suggests are not actually fish, but mollusks – along with octopus and squid. An outer shell once covered the cuttlefish’s body but has since evolved into an internal shell called a cuttlebone. The cuttlefish varies its buoyancy by varying the amount gas and liquid held in the holes of the shell.
SO COOL! Did you know? Cuttlefish are known as the “Chameleons of the Sea” because of their remarkable ability to rapidly alter their skin color at will thanks to chromatophores (pigment-containing cells) on their skin which they can change instantaneously both in color and texture. They feed by firing out 2 long white feeding tentacles that grab the prey and pull it back into the crushing beak. A cuttlefish moves by undulating (wave-like motion) a delicate fringe that runs along its entire body. For a quick getaway it expels a forceful stream of water through its siphon!