Flamboyant cuttlefish
Metasepia pfefferi
Sighting evidence at TK (Tanjung Kubur), Lembeh Strait
Photo: Mark Rosenstein · CC BY-NC
The flamboyant cuttlefish is the only known toxic cuttlefish species: its muscles contain a compound as potent as blue-ringed octopus venom, and its pulsing red, white, yellow, and black skin warns predators accordingly. It walks across the sand on modified arms rather than swimming, a behaviour unique among cephalopods. At TK they hunt small fish and shrimp in the open during daylight hours, making them one of the easiest of Lembeh's iconic species to photograph in natural behaviour.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Flamboyant cuttlefish is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.