Sepia Officinalis (Cuttlefish)

Today I went out to try some things with the Go Pro and filmed this:

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The common Cuttlefish or European Cuttlefish are of the order “Sepiida” and belong to the class “Cephalopoda” which include Squid, Octopus and Nuatilusus. They are Molluscs and have one of the largest brain-to-body size ratios of all invertebrates. In fact they are thought to have an intelligence equal to cats. (Do not confuse the intelligence to work out puzzles with sentiments).

They have an internal bone, the cuttlebone, which we sometimes find washed up on the coast or sticking through the bars of budgie and canary cages. The official description is; a mantel, eight arms and two tentacles with powerful suckers that they shoot out to grab their prey. It is one of the fastest attacks in the animal world. Their eyes have a very distinctive “W” shaped pupil that give them excellent vision.

Cuttlefish feed on molluscs, crab, shrimp, worms, octopus, fish and other cuttlefish. Their predators are large fish, dolphins, sharks, seals, seabirds, other cuttlefish and, of course, man.

They have a relatively short lifespan between one and two years and seldom grow over 30 cm (11.8 inches) but the largest of the species “Sepia Apama” can reach 50 cm (20 inches) and weigh in at 10.5 Kilos (25 lbs).

They will generally keep to the depths but come up to the surface to spawn. The best time to catch them is in winter but I myself have often caught them in summer while fishing for squid. I personally release all the ones I catch.