Cuttlefish

Photo: Dennis Rabeling · CC BY-NC-ND

Cuttlefish move into Cardigan Bay's sheltered inshore waters in spring to breed, selecting rocky reef edges adjacent to sandy substrate where they lay eggs and hunt shrimp and small fish. Their hunting behaviour in the calm, clear water of the bay interior makes for exceptional observation — the hypnotic undulating fin, the sudden strike, and the rapid chromatic shifts across the skin are all clearly visible. Post-spawning mortality leaves characteristic bleached cuttlebone shells on the bay's beaches throughout summer.