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View Full Version : What's that critter?


NickPheas
23-06-2007, 22:41
Observed today off St Abbs head.

A small orange cephalopod. About an inch long. The colour I'd expect of a North Sea Octopus. The thing had a bulbous body which made up the bulk of it's length and small tentacles at the end. Coming off the body were two filmy, tranlucent 'wings' roughly the size and shape of a half penny. It was definately swimming by moving them.

A baby cuttlefish has been suggested, and the ratio of body length to tentacle length seems about right for that, but the shape of the body was far more like that of an octopus. I also associate cuttlefish with a small rippling frill across the entire body and this looked far more like a dumbo octopus. All the pictures I can find on the web of baby cuttlefish just look like very small cuttlefish.

Andy Wade
24-06-2007, 01:04
Observed today off St Abbs head.

A small orange cephalopod. About an inch long. The colour I'd expect of a North Sea Octopus. The thing had a bulbous body which made up the bulk of it's length and small tentacles at the end. Coming off the body were two filmy, tranlucent 'wings' roughly the size and shape of a half penny. It was definately swimming by moving them.

A baby cuttlefish has been suggested, and the ratio of body length to tentacle length seems about right for that, but the shape of the body was far more like that of an octopus. I also associate cuttlefish with a small rippling frill across the entire body and this looked far more like a dumbo octopus. All the pictures I can find on the web of baby cuttlefish just look like very small cuttlefish.

The colour is not really relevant as they can change colour of course.
But I'd say you've seen the Little Cuttlefish - Sepiola atlantica
Here's a couple of piccies:

http://www.marlin.ac.uk/baski/image_viewer.asp?images=Sepatl&topic=Species

http://www.taucher.net/redaktion/61/norwegen/27.jpg

NickPheas
24-06-2007, 09:23
That looks about right, thanks.