Bioluminescence

Bioluminescence is the production of light by a living organism. It is called “cold light,” because less that 20% of the light generates heat. Living things might produce light to attract a mate, warn a predator or to attract prey. Some jellyfish and squid are bioluminescent, as are anglerfish, lanternfish, algae, fireflies, glow worms and some mushrooms.

Buoyancy

The cuttlefish’s body allows it to live and hover near the ocean bottom where it finds its favorite food. An outer shell once covered the cuttlefish’s body but has evolved into a porous internal shell called a cuttlebone. The cuttlebone is hard and brittle and has different chambers that can fill with gas or water. It is used to control buoyancy. If the cuttlebone is filled with gas, the cuttlefish can rise higher in the water. If gas is released and water enters the cuttlebone, the cuttlefish can easily sink deeper in the water. Because flamboyant cuttlefish have small cuttlebones, they can float only for a short time.

When a cuttlefish dies, only the cuttlebone remains, and it will often wash up on a beach. Some people use cuttlebones as a calcium-rich dietary supplement for pet birds, hermit crabs, chinchillas, reptiles, shrimp and snails. Powder form ground cuttlebones used to be added to toothpaste and cuttlebones were used in the 19th century as an artistic carving tool.

A cuttlefish uses jet propulsion to swim through the water quickly. The cuttlefish sucks water into its mantle cavity and then pushes it out quickly through its siphon to generate thrust. The cuttlefish also has soft undulating fins that look like a flowy skirt around the mantle. The skirt allows the cuttlefish to move in all directions, forward, backward, upward, and downward. These fins move more freely than fish fins because they lack both bony and cartilaginous supports. The controlled buoyancy, the ability to swim in all directions, and the jet propulsions make many cuttlefish excellent swimmers. Unlike many of its relatives, the flamboyant cuttlefish prefers to “walk” along the seafloor rather than swim. It uses two arms and fins to make leg-like appendages to quietly creep across the seafloor.

A cuttlefish uses jet propulsion to swim through the water quickly. The cuttlefish sucks water into its mantle cavity and then pushes it out quickly through its siphon to generate thrust. The cuttlefish also has soft undulating fins that look like a flowy skirt around the mantle. The skirt allows the cuttlefish to move in all directions, forward, backward, upward, and downward. These fins move more freely than fish fins because they lack both bony and cartilaginous supports. The controlled buoyancy, the ability to swim in all directions, and the jet propulsions make many cuttlefish excellent swimmers. Unlike many of its relatives, the flamboyant cuttlefish prefers to “walk” along the seafloor rather than swim. It uses two arms and fins to make leg-like appendages to quietly creep across the seafloor.

Flamboyant cuttlefish live up to their colorful name. They often display creative and elaborate patterns of bright colors across their skin, and they can change their skin pattern and texture in the blink of an eye to blend in with their surroundings. This camouflage is directed by what the cuttlefish sees, and its brain responds by controlling hundreds of thousands of cellular pixels, called chromatophores, in its skin. Cuttlefish can instantaneously change the patterns and texture of their skin to blend with their surroundings and avoid being seen. Sometimes they even pretend to be other things such as algae or rocks. For this reason, flamboyant cuttlefish are sometimes called “the chameleons of the sea.” They use their camouflage abilities to hunt, to avoid predators, and to communicate. 

A cuttlefish uses jet propulsion to swim through the water quickly. The cuttlefish sucks water into its mantle cavity and then pushes it out quickly through its siphon to generate thrust. The cuttlefish also has soft undulating fins that look like a flowy skirt around the mantle. The skirt allows the cuttlefish to move in all directions, forward, backward, upward, and downward. These fins move more freely than fish fins because they lack both bony and cartilaginous supports. The controlled buoyancy, the ability to swim in all directions, and the jet propulsions make many cuttlefish excellent swimmers. Unlike many of its relatives, the flamboyant cuttlefish prefers to “walk” along the seafloor rather than swim. It uses two arms and fins to make leg-like appendages to quietly creep across the seafloor.

A cuttlefish uses jet propulsion to swim through the water quickly. The cuttlefish sucks water into its mantle cavity and then pushes it out quickly through its siphon to generate thrust. The cuttlefish also has soft undulating fins that look like a flowy skirt around the mantle. The skirt allows the cuttlefish to move in all directions, forward, backward, upward, and downward. These fins move more freely than fish fins because they lack both bony and cartilaginous supports. The controlled buoyancy, the ability to swim in all directions, and the jet propulsions make many cuttlefish excellent swimmers. Unlike many of its relatives, the flamboyant cuttlefish prefers to “walk” along the seafloor rather than swim. It uses two arms and fins to make leg-like appendages to quietly creep across the seafloor.