Local Dive Thailand now owned and operated by Aussie Divers Phuket

Cuttlefish – Cross Dressing Light Bending Camouflage Kings

Cuttlefish – Cross Dressing Light Bending Camouflage Kings

Cuttlefish A Lot Going On For What Is Essentially A Slugs Cousin

Cuttlefish belong the to the mollusc family and look like something between an octopus and a squid. Unlike most molluscs, the cephalopod branch which includes cuttlefish, squid and octopus are fairly smart. Certainly compared to their simpleton slug cousins but as with all geeks there comes weirdness – lots of weirdness.

Three Hearts & Blue Blood

Let’s get the ball rolling with this cardiovascular indulgence. Cuttlefish have three hearts, one each for their two sets of gills and one for the rest of the body. The blood that is pumped around is blue/green in colour. Cuttlefish blood carries a copper containing protein as well as the iron containing protein that red blooded animals have. So probably a good idea to stay away from cuttlefish during lightning storms.

Largest Brain To Body Ratio Of Any Invertebrate

To be fair that’s not much of a boast, the competition is fairly weak. Cuttlefish are at times social animals, they use chemicals and colour changes to communicate with each other. Male cuttlefish have been seen to display a flirty display to a female on one side of its body and threat displays to a rival male on the other side. They also use different tentacle positions to communicate and have been seen to respond to humans imitating these postures. A kind of sign language but nobody has the faintest idea what the other is saying.

In laboratory tests they’ve solved maze puzzles quite easily. Comparing intelligence of an animal from a completely evolutionary tree from us is not easy and the cuttlefish probably think the scientists are fairly dense for giving it free food everyday.

Bending Light

Well kinda. We’ve already covered how cephalopods use chromatophores to change the colour of their skin in an octopus article. Underneath the 200 chromatophores per square mm they have other cells called leucophores which scatter light making the skin appear white (similar to polar bear fur, their skin is actually black). They will also reflect what ever colour the ambient light is, that’s why it appears white near the surface but will turn blue or green as they go deeper. If you have colour filters for your torch maybe you can try and shine it on a cuttlefish next time you see one.

Pygmy Cuttlefish Perfectly Blending In With It's Environment

Pygmy Cuttlefish Perfectly Blending In With It’s Environment

Cross Dressing Sneaker Males

So yeah, in the cuttlefish world if your not blessed with genes that make you big, strong and aggressive the males have little chance to to breed or so you would think…In some species some males don’t grow very large and employ a different tactic to get some action. The smaller or ‘sneaker’ males mimic the colours and tentacle patterns of the females. Just like cross dressing human males they also have to hide the extra package. Males have a modified tentacle that delivers the sperm. The sneaker males are wily enough to keep it hidden. So effectively they slip on a dress, slap on some lippy and tuck away the bulge to sneak past the larger more aggressive males to mate with the females. They can secure up to a third of all successful matings.

Electrickery

You’d think that being able to instantly change colour, squirt clouds of ink and dazzle predators with light shows would be enough but no the cuttlefish has one more trick up its sleeve. The syphons on each side of the cuttlefish release a small electrical field that is enough for sharks to pick up. When the cuttlefish detects the looming silhouette of a shark or other large predator it will freeze in place, cover the syphons with it’s tentacles and clamp down on it’s mantle. Reducing it’s electrical field by as much as 80%, hoping that the shark will swim on by. It doesn’t always work but that’s life…

Cuttlefish have plenty of survival techniques but they do need them? After all they’re just a big protein filled bag with arms and no real defence apart from camouflage. If one of their ten appendages does get bitten off, it can be completely regrown in as little as 40 days.

The flamboyant cuttlefish has taken itself off the menu by having incredibly toxic proteins in its flesh. Loud colours tell everyone to steer clear. It’s been so effective that this tiny animal just walks around on the bottom without a care in the world like a miniature psychedelic tank.

The Warning Colours of A Flamboyant Cuttlefish

The Warning Colours of A Flamboyant Cuttlefish

Gonna Rule The World

There are about 120 known species of cuttlefish in our oceans and they reside in many different locations. Although there’s no species present in the America’s as far as we know. They were around before fish evolved and trees grew on land and with the present overfishing of our oceans the biomass of cephalopods is thought to be more than at anytime in recent history. Their quick growth rates and short life spans (1 – 2 years) enable them to re populate areas faster than slower growing species – like weeds vs trees.

They Have An Inbuilt BCD

The shell that many molluscs use for protection has been ditched by many of the cephalopod family in favour of speed and manoeuvrability. However the cuttlefish contain remnants of the shell internally and use it to control their buoyancy. The ‘cuttlebone’ has hollow chambers that can be filled with gases to help maintain position.

You will probably have seen a cuttlebone either washed up on the shore or jammed between the bars of a birdcage. The pet birds use it to keep their beaks sharp and as a source of calcium. Who would of thought that parrots are responsible for so many cuttlefish deaths.

Incredible Eyes

The W shaped pupils of a cuttlefish may look strange to us but they’re highly effective. Although surprisingly considering their amazing camouflage abilities, cuttlefish are thought to be colour blind. Although new research suggests maybe they see colours but just in a different way from us. They can definitely see polarised light and adjust their camouflage based on this.

W shaped Eye of A Cuttlefish

W shaped Eye of A Cuttlefish

The w shaped pupil runs the whole length of the eye enabling cuttlefish to see what’s behind them as well as what’s in front. Another very handy survival tool.

Still On The Menu?

Cuttlefish are apparently quite tasty and are often seen on menu’s, especially in Asia. After interacting with one of these incredible creatures I’m sure you’ll never want to eat one again.

We can find them on all of our dive sites but Shark Point and Richelieu Rock are particular popular especially for mating.

Come and join Local Dive Thailand and find your smart slug with our awesome guides. Contact us at [email protected] more information

Contact Us Now

Posted in Rare & Peculiar Critters on .

Popular Services

clear blue waters surround the racha islands

The Racha Islands

Our most popular Phuket diving trip for beginners and experienced divers. Racha Noi and Yai are not a great distance away but offer some excellent diving. Training for deep, tech and wreck can all be safely completed in the generally easy diving environment that surrounds these stunning islands. Open up the individual dive site pages for the inside info [...]

Find Out More
Happy customer returning after an amazing scuba dive with Local Dive Thailand

PADI Scuba Diver Course

The PADI Scuba Diver Course is a great choice for those with limited time in Phuket or lack confidence in water. You'll only need two days to complete this great little course and there is no swim test involved. Although we do highly recommend that you're a confident swimmer before taking up any diving activity. The course will go over all the basic safety and problem solving skills that you require to enjoy our incredible underwater wo [...]

Find Out More

Daily Schedules

M/V Kepsub Schedule

Jobs @ Local Dive Thailand

Local Dive Thailand is one of Phuket's fatest growing & most vibrant scuba diving operations, we are always looking for quality staff to join us, so feel free to have a look at our jobs listing page.

Job Listings

Contact LDT

Local Guides, Local Knowledge, Local Experiences

Don't trust your diving to amateurs or freshly minted dive guides, dive with local experienced experts from Local Dive Thailand. Our Scuba Diving Phuket Tours will take you to see the rarest of the rare critters, you will be amazed by the macro life our guides can find, in the secret places only they know. To put it in perspective, if you were going to climb Mount Everest you would certainly hire a local sherpa to lead the way & keep you safe. Diving is similar because there is absolutely no substitute for local experience & local knowledge, Local Dive Thailand's guides are Phuket's Sherpa's of the Andaman Sea!

Learn More About Us

Scuba Diving Phuket, Phi Phi & Thailand

When talking about Scuba Diving in Phuket, you should believe the hype, many seasons we have had Whale Sharks grace us on our regular and easy to reach dive sites and on a good day you can add Sea Horses, Sea Moths, Snake Eels, Frog Fish & Octopus to what you can see on any given dive and so much more. If we are heading to Phi Phi Island for the day, you can possibly see Hawksbill Sea Turtles and Black Tip Reef Sharks, also don't forget the King Cruiser, 84 meters of beautiful wreck and the most amazing reef nursery for fish and nudibranch. Local Dive Thailand day trip tours to these locations are not to be missed when you are scuba diving Phuket, get in touch with us and book an 'awesome' day of diving.

Book Your Day Trip

Related News From Local Dive Thailand

See why we are Thailand's leading scuba diving Phuket tour provider, stay up to date & watch out for news & special liveaboard offers!

avoiding seasickness Scuba Diving Health

How Do I Avoid Seasickness?

How do I avoid seasickness is a question we often get asked. Fortunately throughout the Phuket diving high season we're blessed with generally flat seas. Around the beginning of May we start to get a swell come in from the open ocean. Although for most this has little impact on your dive day, for those who get seasick it can be horrible but there are ways to avoid it. Not going to go too far into the science but essentially your brain [...]

Read Full Story
Where To Stay in Phuket Phuket Sights & Fun

Where To Stay In Phuket

Choosing a beach resort for your stay in Phuket has got more and more difficult over the last few years. Great restaurants, bars and hotels have started springing up all over the island. Taking away the necessity to stay in the traditional party town of Patong. As Patong gets more crowded and remains fairly one dimensional, tourists have begun to look at alternatives. Still the busiest place in Phuket and the number one choice for the [...]

Read Full Story
our spacious boat is perfect for a phuket dive package Diving Discounts & Special Offers

The Best Phuket Diving Package

Our 3 day Phuket diving package will cover all of the best local dive sites. The 3 different dive days all have their own unique qualities and offer divers a range of different dive environments. From the clear, calm waters of Racha Noi to the more challenging King Cruiser Wreck, there's something for everyone. No the Phuket diving package doesn't have to be on consecutive days. It's not recommended that beginners go to the King Crui [...]

Read Full Story

Local Dive Thailand Office In Phuket


Find Us On Google Maps