The Boy in the Submarine – Season 2, Episode 4: Cuttlefish

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Podcast Index | Deezer | Youtube Music | RSS | Subscribe!

Cuttlefish are clever tricksters of the ocean. Like their cephalopod cousins the squid and octopus, they can squirt ink, but the tricky cuttlefish can also make a balloon out of mucus and fill it with ink to make a decoy cuttlefish. They can also change their shape and colour to make themselves appear to be rocks, plants, bits of coral, or other objects found nearby. They are very smart and use these abilities with creativity and to help them explore their environment because they are both shy and very curious at the same time.

Cuttlefish are loners: they only spend time together when mating. Otherwise, they spend their time alone hunting small fish, shrimp, worms, and crabs. Some cuttlefish will eat other kinds of cuttlefish, too. There are 120 types of cuttlefish that we know of!