BOBTAIL SQUID
Bobtail squid, also known as little cuttlefish Sepiola atlantica, can be found all year round across the uk coastline. Little cuttlefish are small, cup-shaped cephalopods. They grow to roughly 6 cm in length.
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Bobtail squid mostly prey on little shrimp and other small crustaceans. During the summer months they are often found on rocky shores where the number of rockpool shrimp is high. They spend most of their time buried in the sand, staying hidden from predators and prey.
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Similar to cuttlefish, bobtail squid can change their colour using chromatophores in their skin. When scared they will release a jet of ink to help confuse predators.
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​Trying to find them is easier done at night as they are nocturnal hunters and stay buried during the day. On a night dive with a handful of bobtails we noticed they stayed on the outskirts of our torches occasionally swimming into the light.
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Bobtails are thought to migrate inshore from july onwards from deeper water and stay throughout the summer months. They then migrate to deeper water before winter as they do not survive harsh weather such as storms.​
COMMON CUTTLEFISH
Common cuttlefish are one of the uk's most interesting animals. You can often find their cuttlebone washed up on shore. These cuttlebones are calcium rich and often get used to feed budgies.
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Cuttlefish are in the class of Cephalopoda along with squids and octopus. ​Cuttlefish often hunt crabs and other crustaceans, sometimes smaller cuttlefish. They normally live in deep water but come to shallower water in spring to breed. They usually live for 2 years and the die once they've bred.
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They can be found all around the UK but are more common around the south west. Just like bobtail squid they can change their skin colour as well as the texture to blend in with their background. They also use their tentacles to help blend into their surroundings but to also ward off predators.
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When mating, cuttlefish will display a stripped pattern on one side of their body to ward off competition whilst simultaneously displaying a mottled pattern to a female on the other side. It only takes a cuttlefish 200 milliseconds to change its colour.
