C is for Cuttlefish
Cool colour changing cephalopods.
Hello beautiful people and welcome to Lesson 3 of ‘Aussie Animals’. I’m often shocked by how little people know about Australia’s animals. Of course, everyone knows about Kangaroos and Koalas… but what about an Antechinus or Mulgara?
Living in a country that’s caused the extinction of more animals than any other nation (see this ACF PDF), I feel a duty to spread awareness of these animals before they disappear forever (hopefully not).
In 2020, I illustrated an A-Z Book of Australian Animals packed with interesting facts and beautiful artwork to showcase the majesty of these creatures. My sister Acacia did lots of research (using her science background) and we both put together the writing. Check out the book here, they’re printed sustainably in Adelaide and I’m donating $5 from every book sold to the Bob Brown Foundation.
Today we’re looking at the cuttlefish, very clever molluscs called cephalopods. Other cephalopods include squid and octopus. See a video of me talking about the cuttlefish on Instagram here.
When I was younger, my family and I would pick up long white cuttlebones off the beach and feed them to our galah Squawky. These bones are quite light and keep the cuttlefish buoyant meaning that it can swim happily at any depth. I’ve never actually seen a live cuttlefish, but it’s certainly on my bucket list! In Whyalla (South Australia) it is possible to swim with the cuttlefish during mating season (winter). Check out Cuttlefest, you’ll be able to buy notebooks/cards/bags/tea towels with my cuttlefish design on them. I might even see you there if I can gather the courage!
Sometimes I wonder why people are so obsessed with aliens and monsters when we have some pretty weird/awesome creatures sharing planet earth with us! Cuttlefish are no exception, where do I even start? All of these facts about the cuttlefish are pretty cool!
Just like those mood rings that were so cool when I was young, cuttlefish change colour depending on their emotional state. These colours and patterns also serve as a communication tool between the cuttlefish and can be very vibrant/beautiful. See this incredible video of a cuttlefish interacting with a spy (robot) cuttlefish here.
They can see in-front and behind them at the same time (I’m jealous)! This is due to their W shaped pupils. Weirdly, they’re also colour blind!
When a cuttlefish is attacked, it sometimes ejects a cloud of ink into the face of its attacker. This ink used to be collected and used in fountain pens, it was know as India Ink.
Dr Who would be jealous, the cuttlefish has a total of 3 hearts (1 more than a time-lord)!
They have blue blood, I mean how more alien could you get? 😂
There is so much more to know about the cuttlefish, why not learn more about them and other awesome animals in my Australian Animal A-Z Book?
Well, that it for now - my take on the cuttlefish. If you have had an experience with a cuttlefish, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Also, if you liked this blog post and want more interesting arty Australian flora/fauna content like this why not subscribe?
Maybe you’d like to draw your own cuttlefish or enjoy this free colouring page on me so you can colour and consider this intriguing creature.
With love and a dose of whimsy,
Zinia King