European Common Cuttlefish
Sepia officinalis
- Class
- Cephalopod
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 7,267
- Most observed in
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The common cuttlefish or European common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is one of the largest and best-known cuttlefish species. They are a migratory species that spend the summer and spring inshore for spawning and then move to depths of 100–200 metres (330–660 ft) during autumn and winter. They grow to 49 centimetres (19 in) in mantle length and 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) in weight. Animals from subtropical seas are smaller and rarely exceed 30 centimetres (12 in) in mantle length. The common cuttlefish is native to at least the Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, and Baltic Sea, although subspecies have been proposed as far south as South Africa. It lives on sand and mud seabeds and it can tolerate brackish water conditions.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Common cuttlefish”.