Broadclub Cuttlefish – Sepia latimanus
It’s no secret, I love cuttlefish. I could watch them all day. Inquisitive, seemingly intelligent, quick to colour and pattern change – these are fascinating animals to encounter on a dive.
Cuttlefish belong to the same family as octopus and squid. All of these critters can change their colours (instantly!) to camouflage themselves in their environment and/or to send signals to others of their species.
This pair of Broadclub Cuttlefish were caught in flagrante delicto at Richelieu Rock, in Thailand. The mating sequence involves a head to head encounter. The male then transfers a sperm sac, via a specialized tentacle with which he is equipped. The female will carry the sperm sac, near her mouth, while the male protects her from other male suitors, fertilize it, and then tuck away the fertilized egg for safekeeping somewhere on the reef.
About Judy G Diver
Born and raised on the west coast of Canada, I have always felt a strong connection to the sea. But for many years, I stayed on the surface, afraid of what lurked down deep. When I was in my early 30's, with three young children (aka the P's), my husband (aka Mr G) signed us up for a SCUBA certification course, as a surprise. Although I had my fears, my stubbornness prevailed, and somehow I made it through four murky, frigid, cold water dives in Vancouver to successfully pass the course. Soon after we went diving off the west coast of Mexico, in the Sea of Cortez, where my eyes were opened to the beauty and other-worldliness of the life down under.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
I currently have well over 2000 dives under the belt, and I have been fortunate to travel and dive in Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Fiji, Palau, Philippines, Galapagos, Costa Rica, Hawaii, California, Egypt, Mexico, several islands in the Caribbean, and here in British Columbia.
In addition to this blog and my personal website (Awoosh.com/Directory), which is linked at the top of the blog, my stuff has been published in a variety of magazines and websites, including a regular monthly feature for Scubadiving Magazine for several years. All links to this work can be found in this blog.
