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Cuttlefish for a Cuttlefish

By retrospectacle on November 29, 2007.

During the Thanksgiving break, a friend of mine took this great photo of a cuttlefish at the New England Aquarium.

i-5590d4f516b8556e7cf41ced29924ffb-cuttlefish.JPG

A few days ago, a really cool website called Digital Cuttlefish was brought to my attention by a comment someone left here. This blog epitomizes something I really like and admire--the intersection of art and science. The Digital Cuttlefish likes poetry (more iambic pentameter-type than free verse) and is quite good at it; just check out their poem "An Atheist Gives Thanks" and "A Song for the Season." I like this cuttlefish, and you should too.

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From the pit of all three of my cuttlefish hearts
I thank you for cherishing science and arts;
And I'm glad that my little compulsion with rhyme
Is a pleasant distraction and use of your time.
Many thanks for this picture; more thanks for your words,
(And thanks to your parrot--we can't forget birds!)
Good luck to you always, wherever you wend,
To you and your family.
----------------------------- your cuttlefish friend.

I toast you for your for your words of wit.
I envy those, a little bit,
who find a way to bend their skill
to reflect a clever mind at will.
I hope that you might grant my wish,
and act unlike the cuttlefish.
While he is shy and hides away
I hope you return another day.

Hi Shelly,

PBS NOVA 'Kings of Camouflage" is an excellent video with transcript on the cuttlefish whose poetry is in color change.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/camo/

I still wonder if there may be a possible evolutionary link between the cuttlebone and the notochord?

Doug- thanks for that video link! I didn't know much about the cuttlefish honestly, but I learned that they have a very large brain-body ratio (ie, smart) and can even solve mazes. Fascinating creatures.