Sepia Apama Essay

Australian Giant Cuttlefish are in the following taxons, being ordered largest to smallest, Animalia, Mollusca, Cephalopoda, Sepioloida,Sepiidae,Sepia, lastly Apama. Their scientific name is, Sepia apama coming from their genus and species. Sepia apama is found about 100 meters under water around the southern coasts of Australia and Tanzania, in the seagrass beds of these coastal waters. Sepia apama typically eat small like crabs organisms called, crustaceans, and small fish. Sepia apama has predators in its own environment and hides from predators in an unusual way. According to IUCN Red List the, Sepia apama is near threatened, meaning they are in danger of becoming vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered qualifying them for a threatened category in the near future. Sepia apama is being threatened by bottlenose dolphins, seabirds, sharks, humans, fish, seals, and others of its kind. To protect themselves they have evolved to be able to change the color of their skin very quickly to camouflage with the surroundings. When this technique doesn’t work Sepia apama squirts a reddish-brown ink to help them get away. Due to the nature of the ecosystem the Sepia apama live in, they have

“Sepia apama has a bulky body, with 10 appendages (8 short, heavy arms, and 2 larger extensible tentacles)” (Aglibot). These two retractable tentacles are used for catching prey and mating, Sepia apama mate during the Southern Hemisphere winter, June to August. When mating a male's retractable tentacles are extended completely out to make themselves look bigger and they change their color very quickly to attract a mate. They eat crabs, fish, and crustaceans, which are shrimp, lobsters, krill, and barnacles. The retractable tentacles are used to eat these organisms, by grabbing the prey they hold while Sepia apama eats away with its parrot like beak. In order to catch these prey the Australian Giant Cuttlefish use camouflage to while awaiting their