Flamboyant Cuttlefish
Metasepia pfefferi
Sighting evidence at Beauty Cave, Little Liuqiu Island
Photo: Mark Rosenstein · CC BY-NC
Flamboyant cuttlefish appear in the sandy channels just outside Beauty Cave's entrance from April through October, walking across the bottom on modified arm tips while cycling through rapid iridescent color displays. This species is among the most toxic of all cephalopods, and its vivid warning coloration is a reliable signal to predators to keep distance. They hunt small fish and shrimp using a lightning-fast tentacle strike, and their ambush tactics can be observed in detail on slow-paced macro dives.
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.