Palauan Cuttlefish: Nest of Fire

Snorkelers on a National Geographic Expedition to Palau were treated to the rare sight of a pair of Broad Club Cuttlefish, Sepia latimanus.  The beautiful Cephalopods were spotted by tour guide Douglas Mailmeng who called over everyone from the group for a closer look.  Photographer Ron Leidich free dove down for a closer inspection and discovered that the female was in the midst of depositing her eggs.

​The females carefully choose their nesting sites to maximize the protection of her young.  With outstretched arms, the mother cuttlefish delicately reached out to place her white eggs inside the branches of a stinging fire coral, Millepora sp.  The fire coral is actually a colony of stinging hydroids with a hard calcareous skeleton, much like their true coral cousins.  Predators are unwilling to brave the stinging cells (cnidoblasts) of the colony, and thus the embryonic cuttlefish have a safe haven to start their life.

The female was initially wary of the free diving intruders, though she quickly habituated and began to focus on her important task.  Meanwhile her mate was spotted nearby by tour leader, Macstyl Sasao.  The male Cuttlefish was more defensive and raised a pair of arms, signaling his annoyance at the intrusion.  The male remained vigilant, standing guard of his female lest a predator or rival male move into his territory.
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Upon hatching the juvenile cuttlefish will recruit to the myriad bays and lagoons of Palau's inner reef system.  The youngsters will then hone their predatory skills, targeting small fish like gobies and blennies.  With lightning speed the cuttlefish extend their arms and trap their prey in the grip of their suction cups.  The strike occurs so quickly that one is usually left with only the evidence of glittering fish scales scattered in the wake. 

The Cephalopods are the Invertebrate Zenith in terms of intelligence.  Young cuttlefish will quickly learn to follow snorkelers over the reef.  As the fish are distracted by the presence of the floating hominids, the super Mollusks take advantage of their clueless prey.  It's not uncommon for the baby cuttlefish to become so habituated as to allow a snorkeler to gently hold them in their hand!​

By: Ron Leidich