The Cuttlefish

The cuttlefish is an absolutely adorable sea creature who resides in tropical and temperate waters, mainly along the coasts of East and South Asia, Western Europe, and the Mediterranean, as well as all coasts of Africa and Australia.  They are primarily shallow water dwellers, although

they have been known to live up to deaths of 2,000 feet.  Cuttlefish are a part of the mollusk family, which makes them related to animals like the squid and octopus.  Proportionally, they have the largest brain to body ratios of all invertebrates.  This makes them some of the most intelligent invertebrates on the planet, but granted, they really don’t have very much competition.   

Cuttlefish eat pretty much anything small enough to fit in their mouths, even if it occasionally means another cuttlefish.  However, their diet is primarily crabs, shrimp, fish, and worms.  The cuttlefish uses its impressive array of suction cups to latch onto its prey, quickly devouring it.  Most creatures don’t have a chance to even see the catalyst of their demise approaching, as the cuttlefish has one of the most advanced camouflaging mechanisms in the animal kingdom.  They have the capability to change their color, texture, and in some cases, even body temperature.  This is incredible, as it has been proven that the cuttlefish cannot actually see color itself, so the mechanism involved in its camouflage remains unknown.  Because of its camouflaging capabilities, the cuttlefish is able to easily lie in wait for its prey, as well as escape predators with relative ease, as it can also eject ink at will.  

Like most mollusks, the cuttlefish has a set of extremely advanced eyes.  While it cannot see color, it can detect the polarization of light, which helps it to determine contrast.  The eyes of the cuttlefish can move independently of each other, allowing it to see in almost any direction.  During the development cycle of the cuttlefish, the eye is developed first which means that the cuttlefish can actually observe the outside world from its egg and, when it is born, begin to immediately hunt prey that was seen while in the egg.