Scientific Classification
KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Mollusca
CLASS: Cephalopoda
ORDER: Sepiida
FAMILY: Sepiidae
GENUS: Metasepia
SPECIES: M. pfefferi
Conservation Status
Flamboyant cuttlefish grow between 2-3 inches in length. Their neutral colors are a mix of yellow, pink, orange, and brown. The flamboyant cuttlefish’s chromatophores allow their cells to contract or expand so they can mimic the environment around them. Not only can they camouflage colors but also textures!
They are one of only two cephlapods that “walk” across the ocean floor instead of swimming. They use two large arms and fins to amble across the floor. A flamboyant cuttlefish’s arms are long and broad and have 4 rows of suckers.
Flamboyant cuttlefish are found in shallow waters between 10-200 feet deep along the Northern Australian Coast, Southern Coast of New Guinea, and scattered across the Philippines, Sulawesi, and a few other islands.
They prefer hunting along the ocean floor, in and around coral reefs, and among aquatic plants and debris.
Flamboyant cuttlefish are extremely efficient predators and hunt in much the same manner as their cousins, the squid. They have 2 translucent tentacles tipped with powerful suckers that will shoot out and grasp their prey. Once it is secured, they will bring it into their mouth which contains a very powerful beak that will tear apart their food.
They normally eat crabs, shrimp, and other molluscs, but will also catch small fish.
Before they attack their prey, the flamboyant cuttlefish usually try to conceal themselves with the proper coloration. Once the prey is captured you can see an instant change in the cuttlefish’s colors.
When it comes time to mate, flamboyant cuttlefish will approach face-to-face. The female is about twice the size of the male and he will insert a sperm packet into a special pouch in the female’s body cavity. She stores the sperm and uses it to fertilize her eggs. She then finds a secluded spot and lays up to 200 eggs, and then dies.
In about 25 days, perfect miniature replicas of adult flamboyant cuttlefish emerge. The tiny larvae have all of the same behavior and capabilities of the adults and will hunt tiny, almost microscopic prey until they reach adult size in about 6 months.
