Are Cuttlefish Cuddley???

Every time I see a cuttlefish, I think it should be looking for it's shell-home and that shell should look like a little Nautilus.....appropriate, I guess, since they are in the same family, genus, family, species in the biological sense.   The cuttlefish does not appear to have scales, and looks soft and fleshy (although not slimy.)  When I recently asked a S.C.U.B.A. diving friend if he had ever seen these on dives, he responded that he has occasionally seen little ones in the Mediterranean, but not the Gulf of Mexico. 

The inspiration for this drawing is actually about 3 1/2 to 4 inches long.  From the top of the snouty arms (8 of them in all) and tentacles (2 of them,) to the tip, it a max of 2 inches.  A ruffle runs from behind one eye, all the way around the length of the body, and stops just behind the second eye.  This ruffle is constantly furling and appears to be the propulsion and steering device all in one.

I know there are bigger varieties of the cuttlefish, but the largest I have seen in an aquarium is 4 1/2 inches in length.  There is a flamboyant cuttlefish in the Tampa aquarium that is illuminated by black light and it is filled with neon highlights and bumps on a beautiful purple body.  Structurally it look just like these beige, pink, and sandy-colored cuttlefish, however.

Cuttlefish have 4 types of body changes that are used in deliberate combinations, to communicate.  These visible polyphenisms (body changes for communication,) are:
     Chromatic - skin color
     Textural skin rough or skin smooth
     Posture
     Locomotion

Of these 4 observed polyphenisms,  there are 34 chromatic, 6 textural, 8 posture and 6 locomotion patterns in most observed cuttlefish and more in the flamboyant cuttlefish variety.

Flamboyant cuttlefish:
     Chromatic 42 - 75 variations
     Textural 7
     Posturing  14
     Locomotion 7

Three color patterns have also be documented:
     Uniform
     Mottled
     Disruptive
Each cuttlefish can display one "message" on one side of the body and a different "message" on the other.  Handy for courting a mate AND fending off a possible rival at the same time.

Cuttlefish sometimes use of these polyphenisms and patterning to signal future intent.  For example, a male will adopt a zebra pattern on the body and a "dark face" when threatening to attack.  A female can visually distinguish a male from a female and will only display "splotch" patterning to another female.  She has a different color and patterning display when interested in mating and will only display to a male.

What interesting molluscs these are - know more than you wanted OR are you intrigued???

Sand Dollar Discovery

Did you know that the actual color of a living sand dollar is a purplish-gray?  If you flip them over and look at the bottom surface, it is covered with hundreds and hundreds of little legs that are constantly in motion.  If a living sand dollar is sitting on a sandy surface in a half inch or more of water, it is mobile - what a surprise that was to watch in action!

The color of this sand dollar is just about the color of the living organism when it is wet.

In addition to the "star" pattern on the top of the sand dollar, a closer investigation reveals pentagon-shaped cells throughout the exo-skeleton.  The sand dollar could be called a five dollar with the number of repeating features that echo some aspect of "5". 

What's an Octocave?

Almost ready to move into the octo-cave,,,

...
It's like a mancave with a focus on octopus delights....no sports team posters or Nascar patches, just secure, tight and out of the flow of fishy traffic.  A place for the main "blob" of the body to hunker down, but not necessarily a place for all eight arms. 

Star Light, Star Bright......

Another dining opportunity for the raging octopus.....

During one of the visits we made to the beach at Ft. Myers Beach, the bottom of the two to two and one half deep water contained many starfish.  Not the picture-perfect specimens like the one below, but mutants that had clearly lost an arm or two during their life, and grown a new one.....or two.....or more.  There were also starfish who had ten, eleven or twelve arms and didn't look damaged.

This expedition lead me to believe that there are varieties of starfish just like there are varieties of fish or birds or dogs, etc.    

When contained in the binding....

....the starfish, too, is crunched right in and anchored nicely.  The blocked text lines on the right hand side of the page spread become more decor than functional stationary, but....in a pinch, al writing surfaces in these little books are fair game for  the collection of notes, lists, and collected data.  Ironic because, as I have mentioned earlier, most of these little books have become non-functioning books and simply "mini-art collections." 

Hammer Nose Deception

Doesn't this look like a happy-go-lucky, cartoonish shark merrily cruising in the tank?

Hammer nose shark on the move.....

Swimming to cool down......

In the binding.....

 Again, the text page can be color coordinated using block printing instead of hand ruling.

And the de-escalation......the denumou, if you will.....

Noticed the relaxed tentacles...