WHATSTHATFISH
Octopus & squid

Flamboyant Cuttlefish

Ascarosepion pfefferi

Also known as: Cephalopod, Lightening Cuttlefish, Pfeffers Cuttlefish, Pfeffer's Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Seppia Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Metasepia pfefferi

Adult
@epic · Lembeh, Indonesia · August 20081 / 5

Showing details for the adult stage. Switch stages to see how it differs.

01

Overview

Found in shallow waters, over mud and sand bottoms. Can produce colourful displays with a flash of lightening, when stalking their prey.

This is the only cuttlefish known to be poisonous.

Cuttlefish possess the ability to swim in different manners, usually gently rippling their side fins. However when in danger, the cuttlefish sucks water into their body cavity and expels it through a funnel like extension on the underside of the body, causing a backward propulsion enabling the cuttlefish to escape from predators.
They are also able to shoot a cloud of black ink at predators when threatened.
They feed by catching their prey by two powerful tentacles which shoot out from beneath the creatures eyes. The prey is then pulled toward the animal's strong beak and crushed before consuming.
They gather in their hundreds of thousands to spawn.
Males can only produce once and the females die shortly after laying their eggs.

02

How to identify

Body shape
skin tags

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

Where the adult stage lives, and where its photos were taken.

  • Range · Indo-Pacific
  • Country only · 5
LIVES IN

Found in shallow waters, over mud and sand bottoms.

04

Adult photos 5

05

Discussion 1

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1 comment

ALL STAGES
FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

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Taxonomy

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumMollusca
  3. classCephalopoda
  4. orderSepiida
  5. familySepiidae
  6. genusAscarosepion
  7. speciesAscarosepion pfefferi (Hoyle, 1885)

SourcesWoRMSWikipedia

06

More in the family

Cuttlefishes (Sepiidae)