Common cuttlefish
Common cuttlefish | |
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Common cuttlefish in Arrábida Natural Park, Portugal | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Cephalopoda |
Order: | Sepiida |
Family: | Sepiidae |
Genus: | Sepia |
Subgenus: | Sepia
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Species: | S. officinalis
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Binomial name | |
Sepia officinalis | |
Synonyms | |
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The common cuttlefish or European common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is one of the largest and best-known cuttlefish species. They are a migratory species that spend the summer and spring inshore for spawning and then move to depths of 100–200 metres (330–660 ft) during autumn and winter.[2] They grow to 49 centimetres (19 in) in mantle length and 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) in weight.[3] Animals from subtropical seas are smaller and rarely exceed 30 centimetres (12 in) in mantle length.[4]
The common cuttlefish is native to at least the Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, and Baltic Sea, although subspecies have been proposed as far south as South Africa. It lives on sand and mud seabeds and it can tolerate brackish water conditions.[5][6]
Taxonomy
It is unknown where the
Sepia officinalis jurujubai Oliveira, 1940, originally described as a
Description
The common cuttlefish is one of the largest species of cuttlefish with a
Cuttlefish are well known for their unmatched
Ecology
Diet
During the day, most cuttlefish can be found buried below the substrate and fairly inactive. At night however, they are actively searching for prey and can ambush them from under the substrate.[
A 2008 study on S. officinalis[13] revealed that cuttlefish embryos, if visually exposed to a certain species of prey (e.g. crabs), will hunt primarily for that prey in later life. S. officinalis usually prefer shrimp to crabs, but when the embryos were exposed to crabs and the embryos had hatched, the young cuttlefish switched preferences and proceeded to hunt the crabs more often than the shrimp.[14]
Life history
Cuttlefish reach sexual maturity between 14 and 18 months of age. During breeding season, which occurs during spring, summer, and sometimes early autumn, large gatherings of male cuttlefish will display a highly contrasting black and white zebra pattern on their mantle to attract females and females will display a uniform grey colour to indicate they are ready to mate. Cuttlefish males carry up to 1400 spermatophores to the female and the female carries between 150 and 4000 eggs depending on her body mass. The female attach the egg mass to seaweed, shells, or other substrates to prevent them from drifting away; the eggs incubate for 30 or 90 days, depending on temperature, until they hatch into miniature versions of the adults. Cuttlefish live up to 2 years of age; a large number of them die after spawning.[2][1][15]
Cuttlefish have many predators including sharks, coastal dolphins, seals, large fish such as sparids, and cephalopods which includes other cuttlefish. They have a number of anti-predator adaptations; their primary means is camouflage, sitting concealed while a predator passes them by. If located, a cuttlefish will jet away using its siphon, and will often ink; a cuttlefish has a variety of ink types that it can use depending on its situation.[9][16][1][15]
The egg masses of the common cuttlefish are also attacked and consumed by predators; an experiment determined that a variety of marine invertebrates, including the murex sea snails, european lobster, rock crabs, sea urchins, Squilla mantis, and sea stars ate common cuttlefish egg masses.[17]
Uses
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2023) |
Sepia officinalis is a species that is commonly fished in the Mediterranean, including countries like Greece and Spain. Although it is fished extensively and wild stocks in some regions are close to being over-exploited, population numbers are not declining and the species is of Least Concern on the list of threatened species.[1] Cuttlefish in general have many uses, thus they have a large commercial value. Sepia officinalis is a popular food item in its native range, and mediterranean languages have numerous names for cuttlefish.[15][18] The mantle is the main cut eaten; it is processed into a multitude of dishes after the cuttlebone and guts are removed. The head including the tentacles are also processed into a variety of dishes; the buccal mass including the beak are often removed beforehand.[citation needed]
Cuttlebones are commonly sold for pet parrots because they provide a good source of calcium, help keep a bird's beak trimmed, improve jaw strength, and provide entertainment for the bird.[20] Some reptile species may also take cuttlebones for calcium and enrichment.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Compton, A; Wiley, L. "Sepia officinalis". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ Reid, A., P. Jereb, & C.F.E. Roper (2005). "Family Sepiidae". In P. Jereb & C.F.E. Roper, eds. Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species known to date. Volume 1. Chambered nautiluses and sepioids (Nautilidae, Sepiidae, Sepiolidae, Sepiadariidae, Idiosepiidae and Spirulidae). FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 4, Vol. 1. Rome, FAO. pp. 57–152.
- ^ Roper C.F.E., M.J. Sweeney & C.E. Nauen (1984). Cephalopods of the world. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy. Vol. 3, p. 277.
- ISBN 9783882440553.
- ^ "Ecology Summary - Sepia officinalis". sealifebase.ca. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Current Classification of Recent Cephalopoda
- ^ Adam, W. & W.J. Rees. 1966. A Review of the Cephalopod Family Sepiidae. John Murray Expedition 1933–34, Scientific Reports 11(1): 1–165, 46 plates.
- ^ a b c "Sepia officinalis, The Common Cuttlefish – The Cephalopod Page". www.thecephalopodpage.org. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
- S2CID 25111630.
- PMID 17389219.
- .
- S2CID 53147763.
- ^ Walker, M. (June 5, 2008). Cuttlefish spot target prey early. BBC News.
- ^ a b c "Species Fact Sheets Sepia officinalis (Linnaeus, 1758)". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Food and Agriculture Organization. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "Sepia officinalis". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
- hdl:10261/130843.
- .
- ^ PMID 24824020.
- ^ Sund, P (2017). "Does My Bird Really Need a Cuttlebone?".
Further reading
- Fluckiger, M.; Jackson, G. D.; Nichols, P.; Virtue, P.; Daw, A.; Wotherspoon, S. (2008). "An experimental study of the effect of diet on the fatty acid profiles of the European Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)". S2CID 85069548.
- Hanlon, R. T.; Messenger, J. B. (1988). "Adaptive Coloration in Young Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis L.): The Morphology and Development of Body Patterns and Their Relation to Behaviour". JSTOR 2396667.
- Gibson-Hall, E.; Wilson, E. (2018). "Common Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)". Marine Life Information Network.
External links
- "CephBase: Common cuttlefish". Archived from the original on 2005-08-17.
- Taxa Associated with the Family Sepiidae Keferstein, 1866
- Photos of Common cuttlefish on Sealife Collection