Hedley's cuttlefish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hedley's cuttlefish |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Sepia
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| Species: |
hedleyi
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Sepia hedleyi, also known as Hedley's cuttlefish, is a type of cuttlefish. It belongs to the family called Sepiidae. You can only find this special cuttlefish in the warm and mild waters around Australia.
Contents
What Does Hedley's Cuttlefish Look Like?
Hedley's cuttlefish is quite small. Males are about 83 millimeters (mm) long. Females are a bit bigger, around 102 mm long. This measurement is for their main body, which is called the mantle.
They are usually a beige color. Their arms do not have any special patterns. Along each side of their body, near their fins, they have rows of small bumps. These bumps can be orange or pink.
Their special hunting arm, called the tentacular club, is shaped like a crescent moon. It has a flat surface with 9 to 12 suckers in rows. The fins are widest near the back of their body. They are rounded at the ends, with a small gap between them. The cuttlebone, which is an internal shell, is shaped like an oblong.
Where Does Hedley's Cuttlefish Live?
Hedley's cuttlefish is found only in the waters off Australia. Its home stretches from the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. It goes all the way around the eastern, southern, and western coasts of Australia. This includes Tasmania and goes as far as just southwest of Shark Bay in Western Australia.
Hedley's Cuttlefish Home and Habits
Hedley's cuttlefish lives in many different depths of water. You can find them in shallow areas close to shore. They also live much deeper, on the continental slope. The deepest they have been found is 1092 meters (about 3,580 feet). The shallowest they have been found is 47 meters (about 154 feet).
Hedley's Cuttlefish and Fishing
Hedley's cuttlefish is often caught by accident. This happens in fishing nets that are trying to catch prawns or other types of fish. When an animal is caught by accident, it is called "bycatch."
Who Named Hedley's Cuttlefish?
Hedley's cuttlefish was named by an American scientist. His name was Samuel Stillman Berry, and he studied mollusks. He named it in 1918.
The cuttlefish was named to honor Charles Hedley. He was an Australian scientist born in England. Charles Hedley studied shells and lived from 1862 to 1926. The first example of this species, called the "type specimen," was found in the Investigator Strait. It is now kept at the Australian Museum in Sydney.
