DEEP BREATH
Clever cuttlefish show advanced self-control, like chimps & crows
Are you one of the many divers fascinated to watch cuttlefish behaviour? DR ALEXANDRA SCHNELL is too. This research fellow at Darwin College, Cambridge says she is happiest under water, but it was in the lab that she recently discovered that these surprising cephalopods still have big secrets to reveal. Her article first appeared in The Conversation
WHEN I ENTER the marine laboratory in the morning, there’s always a chance I’m about to get soaked. You see, our crankiest common cuttlefish, called Franklin, has recently taken to squirting a water jet at me from her tank.
I’ve decided it’s her grumpy way of saying she doesn’t want to participate in experiments, because Franklin never hoses me during my evening visits, which is when I’m only in the lab to give her dinner.
Cuttlefish are clever creatures, and squirting saltwater is not their only party trick. They’re experts at camouflage, adjusting the colour and texture of their skin to match their environment.