Hide and Seek in the Sea: Introducing a Cuttlefish Report

Masters of Disguise

1The ocean is full of animals that hide in plain sight. Some fish look just like rocks, and some crabs carry sponges on their backs. One of the best hiders of all is the cuttlefish. This report explains how a cuttlefish's body and its amazing skin help it find food and stay safe.

2Even though its name has the word fish in it, a cuttlefish is not a fish. It is a mollusk, like a snail or a clam, and its closest relatives are squid and octopuses. A cuttlefish has eight arms and two longer tentacles around its mouth. Inside its body is a cuttlebone, a light, hard shell full of tiny spaces. By changing how much gas and liquid fill these spaces, the cuttlefish can rise or sink in the water.

3The cuttlefish's skin is where its best tricks happen. The skin is packed with tiny sacs of color that can grow larger or smaller. In the blink of an eye, a cuttlefish can turn from pale sandy brown to dark stripes. A cuttlefish has three hearts. It can even raise small bumps on its skin so it looks like a rock covered in seaweed.

4Cuttlefish use their skin to catch food, too. They eat crabs, shrimp, and small fish. When a cuttlefish spots a crab, it may creep closer while dark bands ripple across its body. Scientists think these moving patterns may confuse the crab. Then the cuttlefish shoots out its two long tentacles, grabs the crab, and pulls it toward its mouth.

5Cuttlefish also need to stay away from sharks, seals, and big fish that want to eat them. Most of the time, a cuttlefish stays safe by matching the sand, rocks, or seaweed around it. If an enemy spots it anyway, the cuttlefish can squirt a cloud of dark ink. While the enemy is confused, the cuttlefish pushes water out of a tube on its body and zooms away.

6A cuttlefish may look like a strange, soft little animal, but its body is full of surprises. With its floating cuttlebone, color-changing skin, and quick tentacles, the cuttlefish is one of the ocean's greatest masters of disguise.