SPRING WISRD MAGAZINE, VOL 6, ISSUE 2

ACutt lefish's Secret Weapon: Chromatophores By Sadie Gardiner

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ACuttlefish in ItsNatural AquaticHabitat

Acuttlefish in itsnatural aquatic habitat responsible for maintaining the animal?s buoyancy. This alien animal comes in 100 different species of var ious sizes. One of the smallest var ietes, the flamboyant cut t lefish, measures about 6cm, while one of the largest species, the sepia apama can grow up to 50cm, or 20in. Like most cephalopods, cut t lefish eject ink into the Contrary to their name, cut t lefish are not fish; instead, they belong to the class Cephalopoda, also including octopuses, squid, and naut iluses. They are dist inct ively character ized by a thick internal calcified shell, called a cut t lebone, made of a mineral called aragonite,

Another unique adaptat ion of a cut t lefish is their small skin cells called chromatophores which can change color in an instant . The ability to change the color of its skin allows the cephalopod to hunt amongst the reef bed, almost invisible to its prey. Cut t lefish can also use muscles in their dermis to change their skin texture from smooth to rough, enabling them to hide easily among rocks on the seafloor. A cut t lefish?s survival relies heavily on its quick changing skin, but how can these animals accurately match their surroundings? Surpr isingly, cut t lefish don?t rely on their sight to change color; in fact , as far as researchers know, cut t lefish are

water to defend themselves against predators, mixing mucus to create a potent ial decoy organism.

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