cuttlefish

Everyday

1. A cuttlefish is a sea animal related to the squid and octopus, with a wide flat body, eight arms, two long tentacles, a fin around its body and a hard flat shell inside called a cuttlebone. tree →
2. It can change its colour and pattern in a flash to hide or to send messages. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons about sea creatures and camouflage, cuttlefish are masters of disguise: special skin cells change their colour and even the texture of their skin. They squirt ink to escape predators. Cuttlebones wash up on beaches and are given to pet birds to peck for calcium. They are clever animals, and are molluscs, not fish. Phrases: giant cuttlefish, cuttlebone, cuttlefish ink.

Examples

• The cuttlefish changed colour to match the rocks. tree →
• A cuttlefish squirts ink when it is scared. tree →
• We found a white cuttlebone on the beach. tree →
• The budgie pecks at its cuttlebone. tree →
• Cuttlefish flash stripes of colour to hypnotise their prey. tree →
• Giant cuttlefish gather near Whyalla in South Australia. tree →
• A cuttlefish has eight arms and two longer tentacles. tree →
• Despite its name, a cuttlefish is not a fish. tree →

Note

The plural is usually the same: one cuttlefish, many cuttlefish (cuttlefishes is also used). Trap: it is a mollusc (like squid, octopus and snails), not a fish, even though its name has «fish» in it, just like jellyfish and starfish. The ink, called sepia, was once used for writing and drawing.