Flamboyant cuttlefish hatchlings on display
Small, colorful and rather feisty, new cuttlefish are on exhibit at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum. Viable eggs of flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi) arrived from the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory in late January. After a few weeks of incubation, the eggs began to hatch and, before the museum knew it, it had several hatchlings. Shortly after hatching, they began to stalk and hunt their live prey of mysids, a small shrimp-like crustacean. Unlike other cephalopods, flamboyant cuttlefish are very active during the day. They cannot swim very far, so they use their arms to “crawl” along the ocean floor. Rather than swim away when threatened, they display a variety of colors to startle their prey, warning them that they are toxic. The flamboyant cuttlefish are located in the Cephalopod Gallery, in a small “crib” within the exhibit. The use of the crib is so aquarists can keep a close eye on them to ensure that they are eating. Once they are large enough, they will be released into the permanent exhibit. The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is at 3075 Sanibel Captiva Road, Sanibel. For more information, visit www.shellmuseum.org or call 239-395-2233.