Cuttlefish

Photo: Christian Luff · © all rights reserved

Broadclub cuttlefish are the bay's most visible cephalopod, patrolling the pinnacle's flanks in pairs during courtship season and displaying hypnotic rippling color waves across their skin as they hunt crabs and shrimp from the coral substrate. As intelligent predators they modulate their hunting approach — stalking camouflaged prey with slow deliberate movements, then using two specialized tentacles to seize it in a fraction of a second. Courtship displays involve males producing vivid zebra-stripe patterns on the female side of their body while simultaneously projecting calming muted patterns toward rival males.