Flamboyant Cuttlefish

Photo: Mark Rosenstein · CC BY-NC

Flamboyant cuttlefish appear in the sandy channels just outside Beauty Cave's entrance from April through October, walking across the bottom on modified arm tips while cycling through rapid iridescent color displays. This species is among the most toxic of all cephalopods, and its vivid warning coloration is a reliable signal to predators to keep distance. They hunt small fish and shrimp using a lightning-fast tentacle strike, and their ambush tactics can be observed in detail on slow-paced macro dives.