Talk:Cuttlefish/Archive 1

Archive 1

Morphing

I saw a thing on nova and one ability of the cuttlefish not mentioned here is shape-shifting to the degree of looking like seaweed or other ocean plants. also, it was shown that some cuttlefish use thier abilities to lure prey. 205.145.64.64 16:54, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

They can change the texture of their skin by pinching it into folders or bumps, but that's as far as their "shapeshifting" goes. ~rezecib ^(talk) 13:26, 5 August 2010 (UTC)

Im not sure about whether this differs from what the article meant but while scubadiving once I saw five LARGE cuttlefish swimming in a V formation. As I moved closer four moved off and disappeared, and one remained allowing me to move closer until I was within a distance of about 30 - 60 centimetres from it. We swam along together for about 30-40 seconds and came around a large rock where the other four were apparently waiting for the one I was swimming with!! The fifth cuttlefish rejoined the formation in its original place and swam off! Most amazing experience I have ever had and I still dont quite fully understand it. Probably never will. But swimming beside it so close, looking in that huge black eye, it just seemed like there was something I wasnt understanding. Anyway, thats my story....

Plurals of Octopus and Aquarium

I, being a bit of a Latin geek, prefer that the plural of "octopus" be "octopi" and the plural of "aquarium" be "aquaria" and both are standard plurals of these two words; I am asking why the 20:01, 12 December 2005 edits by 71.99.230.82 were removed. Bobryuu 03:39, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

We do not make changes based upon individual preferences. The correct plural is "octopuses"; "octopi" is simply incorrect. See octopus. "Aquaria" may or may not be technically correct, but common usage is aquariums. - UtherSRG (talk) 11:47, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

Octopus is not Latin! So why do you want to apply Latin rules to it? --DelftUser 18:27, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for the clarification. I was just wondering Bobryuu 18:35, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

I agree with you (@UtherSRG) on the plural of aquariums. However, according to Wikipedia[[1]] itself, the plural of octopus has three correct forms: octopuses, octopi (it is not incorrect) and octopodes. Two of these forms (octopi and octopodes are also listed in the OED (the form octopuses is curiously absent). The popular website EnglishForums.com also contains a few different articles concerning the plural of octopus, stating that there is more than one form. It's completely understandable not to make idle changes based on personal preference, but as a small piece of advice, it's a good idea to check the validity of one's statements before arguing that they are incorrect. That being said, I do agree with Bobryuu on one point: octopus is not a Latin word, but an English loanword borrowed from Latin and fully assimilated. Phrosztbyte (talk) 09:46, 4 March 2013 (UTC)

If we're going to discuss terminology.. are US aquariums trying yet to rename these as "sea cuttles" (a la jellyfishes and ctenophores for example)? Cesiumfrog (talk) 00:36, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

"Colorblindness" and cuttlefish eyes

If cuttlefish are colourblind how do they blend their colours with the surrounds during camouflage? Also why are cuttlefish claimed to have the best eyes ever? Is it just the polaroid thing? Cause quite a few different animals can do that. The bellman 13:09, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

I too was wondering at the statement "they cannot see color". If this is true, it needs expanding to explain the apparent anomaly. --Wetman 06:20, 24 May 2006 (UTC)

Best eyes ever? Lat time I checked, the Mantis shrimp was the owner of that prize.38.115.132.20 (talk) 20:25, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

It no longer says "best eyes ever" (it says "among the most developed"). The statement about color blindness is due to a study in 'Sepia officinalis' that found no difference in camouflage in response to differences in color (see this paper). I think there are a number of holes that could be poked in the conclusions of that study, and it was only conducted on one species, so I think the statement that they are colorblind is rather premature. I'll try to investigate further… ~rezecib ^(talk) 22:38, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

cuttlefish husbandry

Hi, In reference to...

1. Domestic cuttlefish are very reminiscent of domestic cats, even exhibiting cat-like habits such as resting, pouncing on moving prey, begging owners for food, and even begging for more food than they need or is healthy for them. Like cats, cuttlefish are not truly tame, but rather tolerate and cooperate with their owners to live a comfortable life. But unlike cats, cuttlefish will try to eat other cuttlefish.#

This is my first post on Wikipedia and since some of my articles are already linked to through these pages I thought I should help out and offer any points I can with regards to the captive husbandry of cephalopods.

The analogy which states that cuttlefish are comparable to cats in their captive husbandry is truly bizarre. Having kept both cats and cuttlefish I can see that the references made to their similarities could be applied to almost any predatory animal. Their differences in habit and husbandry are oceans apart :)

1. 2 Like octopuses, cuttlefish have been successfully raised as pets in home aquariums, though even their bare necessities are significant. In particular, cuttlefish need a minimum amount of sea water in proportion to their body size, their tank needs to be cleaned every time they ink, they cannot tolerate abrupt changes in light levels, and they cannot coexist with other animals, and rarely ever with other cuttlefish. All other animals of comparable or smaller size, including other cuttlefish, are instinctively seen as food.#

That particular paragraph has several inaccurate statements...

Their tank does not need to be cleaned every time they 'ink'. One of the most important items in a cephalopod aquarium is a protein skimmer (foam fractionator) and that should be of a suitable size to remove the ink from the water within a few hours and perhaps a partial water change of 25% would assist. Also, good quality activated carbon in a filter will assist in its removal.

They can 'happily' co-exist with other animals, in fact I have kept cuttlefish with probably more than 30 species. You just cannot add anything to the aquarium which is part of their natural diet.they have

As long as the tank is of a suitable size they can easily coexist with other cuttlefish.

Unfamiliar items are often seen as food regardless of its size. A 5cm cuttlefish will tackle a 10cm item of food.

'they cannot tolerate abrupt changes in light levels'. Well, it may startle them for a few seconds but they can tolerate it quite easily, not an accurate statement. They prefer dim lighting compared to the very brights lights of a standard reef aquarium.

Any objections if i spend some time and submit a section on captive husbandry?

some previous links...

http://www.tonmo.com/cephcare/keepingcephs/keepingcephs.php

http://www.tonmo.com/cephcare/cuttlefishcare.php

http://www.tonmo.com/cephcare/equipment.php

cheers Colin —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Colin Dunlop (talk • contribs) .

You don't need to ask if you want to edit articles. The whole point of wikipedia is that everybody works on the articles. If you see something you know isn't right go ahead and change it. But make sure to have references to back you up if it's disputed.

I agree that the parts about cuttlefish as pets could use some work. Calibas 02:43, 24 May 2006 (UTC)

Colour blindness?

Just a quick question. If cuttlefish can see colour, 'Although they can see color', how can they change their skin colour to match the background? I am very puzzled... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.17.165.90 (talk • contribs) .

Actually, this was already asked further up on this talk page and there was no real answer to this... hopefully someone else can help. I don't have any idea how they do it, to be honest. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 09:53, 24 May 2006 (UTC)

Indeed. Many thanks, maybe I should get my eyes checked, not the cuttlefish. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.17.165.90 (talk • contribs) .

As far as I know, it is true that cuttlefish (and all other cephalopods) are colorblind. I don't know the mechanics of how they are otherwise able to blend their color so well, but their eyes have only light brightness sensing cells and no color discriminating cells. - UtherSRG (talk) 10:56, 24 May 2006 (UTC)

The answer is that they don't match color. They change their colors according to the light and dark tones of the background they mimic, but the hues and saturation often do not match. But if other animals also cannot see hues or saturation either, then this is an effective camouflage. - Gilgamesh 11:52, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

The deep layers of thier skin cells reflect light from the environment. Some of this reflected light can then be absorbed by the outer cells as it bounces back toward the open sea. In this way, the outer cells can then adjust to exactly match the wavelengths of light that are bouncing about around the cuttlefish, including light from rocks, sand, seaweed, etc. This is more effective than trying to "eyeball" the color, a mistake in which could cost a cuttlefish its life in the wild. The patterns that cuttlefish produce are so rich and complex that artists couldnt reproduce them in hours, let alone instantaneously. Cuttlefish have the most sophisticated skin on earth, they dont need to see color to match color.SuperFluid 04:37, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

According to a recent NewScientist article [2], there is evidence that cuttlefish see in shades of green. Maybe this should be added to the article? NapoleonB (talk) 22:20, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

I wasn't able to look at the NewScientist article (behind a paywall) but this journal article seems to make it seem that (as of 2006 anyways), it's a bit of a mystery. But it's an interesting question - I'll keep looking to see if there's any more recent developments. AdventurousSquirrel (talk) 15:28, 9 December 2013 (UTC)

Question Raised

When I first read the lead in to this article, my question was what is the difference between squid and cuttlefish. I had always equated one with the other. Is there a way to answer this question in the article Felch 13:05, 24 May 2006 (UTC)felch dumas

Well, the cuttlebone is one of the major differences. Squid just don't have these. And most importantly, cuttlefish are much cuter, necessitating special taxonomic recognition. -- Coelacan | talk 19:13, 24 May 2006 (UTC)

Quite right, Coelacan. That is the taxonomical distinction- cuteness! :-) 123.200.198.152 (talk) 05:15, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

The picture named "Food cuttlefish" with pointy ends seems more like squid than cuttlefish. The east Asian snack food is more likely dried squid (as seen in the picture in squid). 17:29, 08 September 2006 (UTC) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 192.216.148.139 (talk • contribs) .

Brains/Intelligence

I'm not qualified to provide this information, but isn't it the case that cuttlefish have fairly large and developed brains? I was hoping to get some information about what is known regarding their supposed intelligence. Thanks. --Davidp 02:32, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

I second that - the octopus article has a quite long section, and I had heard cuttlefish were smart, but no mention here. Someone who knows something want to step up to the plate? 66.194.72.10 08:29, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I also heard that on a documentary. Someone who knows for sure better put it on the article.Coolgyingman 19:11, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

Removed from article

Unsourced, badly written (no offence), rather lacking in a point. The text refers to the ink cuttlefish use to hide themselves.

Some religious Jews believe the ink is the dye the Torah refers to when it commands Jews to tie strings (tzitzit) to four cornered garments with a string dyed the color "t'cheilet". Some dispute this and claim that either the cuttlefish is not the source of the dye, and others go further saying that we should not try to figure out how to get the dye until the coming of the Moshiach

-- Ec5618 20:52, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

Culinary

The dish was written as Risotto Negro, I changed it to Nero. Negro is Spanish, Nero is Italian. Also, they make pasta con il nero di seppia which is a black pasta using cuttlefish ink in the recipe; it might not be necesary to add this in so I'll leave it up to you guys to add it if you want.ABart26 03:08, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

cuttlebone

Why does it redirect here?--Marhawkman 12:23, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Not anymore. Mgiganteus1 13:34, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Why is nothing about the cuttlebone mentioned in the 'Uses' section? (I see that there *is* mention of the uses in the 'Cuttlebone' section ...) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.29.4.217 (talk) 20:23, 31 August 2013 (UTC)

Cuttlefish Spotted in Cozumel

I was in Cozumel in 2011 and encountered two perfect cuttlefish specimens. The larger variety. This article states they are not found in the America's and I believe the 1998 cited article is outdated. Either the cuttlefish has made its way over to "The America's" or were introduced here in recent years. I have swam with reef squid and know the difference. The head is a dead giveaway as noted below. We have watched the NOVA show on this fantastic creature and it was a delight later to be in the presence of such. The animals we spent a few minutes observing were camouflaged to fit in with the vast coral reef sanctuary we were snorkeling in. Their colors were glowing like something from outer space. I do not believe the person who posted in 2007 is incorrect either. Needs looking into. I will not edit the article for content as it has its source well cited. Trishcat1967 (talk) 03:53, 18 January 2015 (UTC)Trishcat1967

Distinguishing from reef squid

From here, one can't really notice the lack of a cuttlebone...

Is there an easy visual way to distinguish a Caribbean Reef Squid from a cuttlefish? I understand that the two have distinct habitats, and that squid don't have cuttlebones. But if you were to see two in a tank... how would you know one from the other? I encountered reef squid in the wild and thought I was in the presence of cuttlefish. It was only later when I realized that cuttlefish don't inhabit the Caribbean that I realized my mistake... Thanks. — Epastore 17:32, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

While I'm sure there are several methods of diferentiating the species, wouldn't one of the simplest just be to wait and see which one tried to camoflage itself? I briefly looked at the Reef Squid article, and didn't notice anything about their skin being able to perform this incredible feat. Forar 20:37, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Reef Squid can change colour as well. In fact, this is evident on the image to the left. Mgiganteus1 20:56, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Ah, the section on their ability to change colour is under Communication in the squid article. I stand corrected. Forar 14:21, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

Just from what it looks like, I think you can distinguish them by the shape of the head, positioning of the eyes (cuttlefish tend to have them higher up, on raised bumps), and the ratio of width to length; cuttlefish are broader and shorter. ~rezecib ^(talk) 13:23, 5 August 2010 (UTC)

Their eyes look *very* different. My experience (as a snorkeller and scuba diver) suggest that reef squid will often -- although not always -- allow you to approach them within a distance that their eyes are clearly visible; haven't seen cuttlefish (yet!) in the wild, so I'm not aware of their response to humans. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.29.4.217 (talk) 20:29, 31 August 2013 (UTC)

casting

I put in an external link to the only site i could find that shows images on a cuttlefish being used for casting. It is an established technique in the jewellery industry to which i am bitterly opposed as we need to preserve natural stocks of cuttlefish however regretably the fact remains it is still a widespread practice in the jewellery making business. I wish this were not the case. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Barny-the-barnicle (talk • contribs) 20:48, 29 March 2008 (UTC)

Cuttlefish Intelligence

It says that Cuttlefish are intelligent, and I've heard this elsewhere before. I came to this article to find out HOW and WHY cuttlefish are more intelligent than other animals, but unfortunately there is no information on that. If somebody can add that info, it'd be great. Thanks. --Zybez (talk) 01:48, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

Yes I think this subject would relate to the article nicely if it is indeed factual that Cuttlefish are highly intelligent compared to other species.--DavidD4scnrt (talk) 06:57, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

Vandalism

Lots of vandalism on this article. Would a request for semiprotect be worth looking into? KiTA (talk) 01:28, 17 November 2008 (UTC)

you can thank xkcd on this one... Damn Fanfreaks its like for them he is the messias--91.5.77.52 (talk) 11:56, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

No, it was being vandalized long before that comic. KiTA (talk) 15:18, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

Cuttlefish as food in Ireland

{{editsemiprotected}} Please check the section in Cuttle fish 'As Food'. An Irish dish described as "Cuttle chips" was added on 8 August 2008 and appears to be a dubious addition. The only other place the dish described is mentioned on the internet appears to be on hacked or dubious sites, or those that have clearly copied and pasted the cuttlefish information directly from the Wikipedia article i.e. creating a circular reference.

The dish does not sound like a 'traditional' Irish dish, containing Cajun mayonnaise amongst other things. Please verify this information or remove it as untrue

Blibloop (talk) 02:39, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

Removed. Reywas92^Talk 02:59, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

Chose to See

{{editsemiprotected}} The sentence about the greco-roman world contains attributions of intent that are confusing and probably ahistorical. "The Greco-Roman world chose to see the cephalopod as more of a source of the unique brown pigment released from its siphon when alarmed" should probably be "The Greco-Roman world valued the cephalopod as the source of the unique..." Corprew (talk) 16:01, 5 February 2009 (UTC)

 Done, I agree entirely - that sentence was both unwieldy and vaguely misleading for no good reason. I've reworded it as you suggested. Thanks. ~ mazca ^t|c 20:51, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

Changing Color - Photochromic

It would be incorrect to use the term photochromic to refer to cuttlefish.

"Photochromism is the reversible transformation of a chemical species between two forms by the absorption of electromagnetic radiation, where the two forms have different absorption spectra.[1][2] Trivially, this can be described as a reversible change of color upon exposure to light."

whereas

Cuttlefish "skin flashes a fast-changing pattern as communication to other cuttlefish and to camouflage them from predators. This color-changing function is produced by groups of red, yellow, brown, and black pigmented chromatophores above a layer of reflective iridophores and leucophores, with up to 200 of these specialized pigment cells per square millimeter. The pigmented chromatophores have a sac of pigment and a large membrane that is folded when retracted."

Cuttlefish's skin is not reacting to light, nor is changing due to exposure to light/uv rays, etc. hence photochromic is an incorrect term.Centerone (talk) 05:29, 12 May 2009 (UTC)

onece i was out in ays down bech and my dad saw a cuttle fish but i dident and i looked on here and wikipedia is one of the best web sites to to find infomation on and i finally saw a cuttle fish now on wikipedia its cool to find info on as i said> :D —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.34.114.39 (talk) 14:08, 16 August 2009 (UTC)

Anatomy vs. Physiology

I noticed that there was both an anatomy and a physiology section, and from the articles on both of those, it appears that all of the sections in both should be under the physiology section.

Anatomy - "Anatomy … is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things."

Physiology - "Physiology is the science of the functioning of living systems. It is a subcategory of biology. In physiology, the scientific method is applied to determine how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells and biomolecules carry out the chemical or physical function that they have in a living system."

All of these sections (skin, eyes, circulation, ink) are primarily describing the way that those organs/systems function, rather than their structure (although structure is a part of it). I'll merge them for now, but this can be a place to discuss if there is disagreement/clarification to be made. ~rezecib ^(talk) 13:31, 5 August 2010 (UTC)

Making Orange

Perhaps someone more knowledgeable about cuttlefish than I could tell us why, if cuttlefish have orange chromatophores, "orange is produced by red and yellow chromatophores"? Lriley47 (talk) 15:33, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

Use in Metalwork/Jewelry Making

I know that cuttlefish bone is sometimes carved to create a mold for casting various metals. Should something like this be added to the Relation to Humans section? 76.250.60.194 (talk) 10:36, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

Mating

It is stated in the section on mating that the male-female ratio for cuttlefish is about 4-1. This may need verification and/or clarification, as I've seen given ratios as high as 10-1 and as low as 1-2.44(more females than males)
Candleknight (talk) 17:04, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

References

Claims?

The second sentence of this article says: "They belong to the class Cephalopoda, which also includes squid, octopuses, claims, and nautiluses." Claims? Don't you mean clams? The associated hyperlink also goes to the disambiguation page for claims. I have never edited a wiki page before so I am not comfortable possibly messing up a correction myself. 68.0.77.168 (talk) 10:30, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Fixed. Thanks. oknazevad (talk) 23:20, 18 August 2013 (UTC)