#sepioid
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Alien final form! So much work went into sculpting , molding, casting and fabricating all those flappy frillies and i am just thrilled! ( I dont want to take it off) i will have blank translucent kits for this sculpt up for preorder this Friday the 16th at 2pm PST. The shop listing will have tutorials and info once the preorder is live and more info will be posted this week. I also have sculpting progress on my patreon! You can see me as this character at @Neotropolis this spring! #missmonster #missmonstermel #alien #alienmask #mask #sepioid #prop #sculpture
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Sepioloidea lineolata
I offer you the dumpling squid, such beauty, such succulence. shrimp filling
#love me a good sepioid.#are they more commonly called the striped pajama squid yes but I’m hungry and striped pajamas are less tasty#squid squaturday#sepioid sunday#week 25#who even cares what day it is at this point#cephalopods#marine biology#squid#I be smiling and teeheeing like a little fool#not to be confused with heeheeing which is reserved for michael jackson who lives in my wall
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Cuttlefish --not so cuddly
I. Classification
Animalia
Bilateria
Protosomia
Lophozoa
Mollusca
Cephalopoda
Coleoidea
Sepiida
Sepiidae
Sepia
officinalis
Integrated Taxonomic Information System, Sepia officinalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
II. Biology
Vagabond Lifestyle
The Sepia species can be found across temperate and tropical seas except off the coast of the Americas. A range of species can be found in Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia.
Each species of sepia live in either tropical or temperate waters. They are saltwater dependent so they all inhabit the ocean. They can either live in shallow or deeper waters (as low as 2,000 ft beneath the surface). Some species migrate from warm to colder temperature as the seasons change.
Image retrieved from fao.org
Armed and Dangerous
The Cuddlefish Cuttlefish has 8 arms along with 2 tentacles. These are specialized for holding on to prey like fish or shrimp. It lures prey by altering its skin color while waving its arms in a mesmerizing fashion to draw in unsuspecting prey. When the prey is near enough, its tentacles shoot forward and entangle the prey. The arms of the cuttlefish also has the ability to suck in water into its mantle cavity in order to appear larger when trying to ward off predators.
Beak
Much like a parrot’s beak, this is used to subdue prey or as a last defense towards predators. It lies deep in the base of the 8 arms of the cuttlefish. Beaks are one of the characteristics scientists use to identify species from each other.
Big Brain Energy
What makes this organism diverse may be attributed to the size of its brain. It is considered as one of the largest of any invertebrate. It can handle a variety of inputs from different senses like sight,smell and “sound” caused by pressure waves. Based on various studies, the cuttlefish can use visual cues in solving mazes. They are considered as intelligent as octopus and pigeons.
Cuttlebone
Image retrieved from: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/camo/anat-nf.html
Cuttlefish can control their buoyancy! Through their cuttlebone, a porous internal shell, they can adjust gas levels in the forward chamber and water level in the rear chamber, to control the buoyancy to rest in the water column.
Eye see you
Image retrieved from: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/camo/anat-nf.html
The cuttlefish is considered to have the most highly developed eyes in the animal kingdom. It is able to see in low light and can detect polarized light. While humans only reshape lenses to see, these organisms reshape their whole eye. It has a “w” shape on the pupil which helps control light intensity entering the eye. Cuttlefish have amazing eyes that can detect differences in polarization, and can shift its lenses forwards and backwards. They can see behind them!
Fintastic form
There are specialized fins on either side of the mantle that helps the cuttlefish reposition and glide through the water. It looks like a flouncy skirt when used to maneuver. It can help the cuttlefish go forward, backward and even in circles.
Early bird catches the worm. In this sense, the fins are used by smaller males to beat other larger males gain access to females.
More to Love
The cuttlefish has 3 hearts where two pump blood to the gills and one that circulates the oxygenated blood to its body. Its blood is a blue-green color because of hemocyanin, a copper containing protein that transports oxygen in most invertebrate bodies.
Image retrieved from: https://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/C/cuttlefish.html
Secret Weapon
Since the cuttlefish is closely related to squids and octopi, it also has an ink sack that helps it ditch or distract predators who rely on sight. There are two ways to eject ink: one is to create a smoke screen behind the organism as it jets away or it can create a decoy by releasing ink in the form of pseudomorphs which are bubbles of ink surrounded by mucus that are about the same size as the cuttlefish. Dopamin and L-DOPA are present in the ink which can temporarily paralyze the sense of predators who hunt by smell.
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Hairy details
There are lateral lines that consist of tiny hairs in the mantle of the cuttlefish that are sensitive to pressure waves. They are sensitive to 75 and 100 hz. These hair cells can be used as a defense mechanism by detecting movement of surrounding predators around the cuttlefish.
Mantle
Cuttlefish locomotion is heavily dependent on the mantle. When escaping predators, water is sucked into the cavity and the mantle muscles expel the liquid with great force so that the organism can move in the opposite direction. The water exits through the funnel which controls the angle of the spray. The mantle aids in respiration by bringing water up to the gills where oxygen is filtered and released into the bloodstream.
Reproductive organs
Males have a reproductive arm that inserts into the female’s buccal area, the area where the spermatophores are stored. Females accept more than one mate which leads the males to spray water through his mantle into the female’s buccal area to wash out other males’ spermatophores. Once ready to lay eggs, the female uses her arm to wipe the spermatophores onto the eggs.
Life as we know it
Image retrieved from: National Geographic Photo Contest 2019
In the springtime, after females lay their eggs they soon die. After two months, th eggs start to hatch. This process is highly dependent on water temperature. Once hatched, cuttlefish babies feed on small crustaceans and rapidly increase in size. Once big enough, the cuttlefish soon reach sexual maturity wherein the males mature much faster than the females. In ideal conditions the cuttlefish reach adulthood at 18-22 months. Their life span can reach 12-24 months
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III. Relationship
Cuttlefish is an economically valuable marine species. Just like their cousins the squid and octopus, cuttlefish are a food source for humans. They are found in most temperate and tropical waters and the market for cuttlefish is large in Asian countries. In Japan, large cuttlefish are eaten raw as sashimi and the smaller ones are packed and frozen for cooking or sometimes dried (surume) (Nash & Thorpe, 2003).
The cuttlefish has an internal shell called the cuttlebone. This internal shell usually gets washed up to the shore and is picked up by beachgoers, collectors, and researchers. There aren’t many uses for the cuttlebone. Research on the effectiveness of cuttlebones as a supplement for caged birds are limited. However, from the research of Galal (2019), cuttlebone meal as dietary supplements for Japanese quails improves egg number and egg laying rate. There is also an increase in fertility rate and the body weight of the chicks.
Oil is also harvested from cuttlefish liver. In a journal article by Meivelu Moovendhan et al (2018), the oil from the liver of Sepia pharaonis was evaluated for its quality characteristics and biological activity. They found out that the oil contained Vitamins A and E, and nine fatty acids. Among the fatty acids present, Linoleic acid, DHA, and EPA had higher amounts.
According to Mehanna et al (2011), cuttlefish are overexploited in the Southeastern Mediterranean waters. The 45-day closed seasons are not effective, rather, they suggest that trawl selectivity should be improved. Also, the protection of spawning grounds through the establishment of MPA is necessary for improving stocks.
IV. Did you know?
Cuttlefish are also called “chameleons of the sea” because of their ability to camouflage. They can change their color through the help of specialized cells in their skin called chromatophores. Aside from color changing, they can also mimic the texture and shape of objects around them. They extend and retract their papillae in their body to change their skin’s texture.
Male cuttlefish change its color to attract femates. They can multitask, changing the color of half of their body to attract mates, while displaying aggressive coloration on the other side to ward off other males. In order to get a mate, a male cuttlefish also do “cross-dressing” and disguise himself as female. Since females only have three pairs of arms, a male even hides his fourth pair of arms and pretends like he’s carrying an egg. A real master of disguise!
Cuttlefish can hypnotize their potential prey by displaying pulsating light and color.
V. References
Compton, A. and L. Wiley (2011). "Sepia officinalis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved October 08, 2020 from https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sepia_officinalis/
Geary, Daniel. (2015). Three hearts and blueish green blood… 10 fun facts about cuttlefish. Retrieved October 07, 2020 from https://atmosphereresorts.com/three-hearts-and-blueish-green-blood-10-fun-facts-about-cuttlefish/
Keyser, Hannah. (2015). 10 Colorful Facts About Cuttlefish. Retrieved October 07, 2020 from https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/66759/10-colorful-facts-about-cuttlefish
Mehanna, Sahar & Haggag, H. (2011). STOCK ASSESSMENT OF THE COMMON CUTTLEFISH, Sepia officinalis IN THE SOUTHEASTERN MEDITERRANEAN, EGYPT. Journal of Shellfish Research. 30. 1013-1013.
NOVA | Kings of Camouflage | Anatomy of a Cuttlefish (non-Flash) | PBS. (2007, March). Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/camo/anat-nf.html
Reid, A., Jereb, P. and Roper, C.F.E (2005). “Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cephalopod species known to date. Volume 1. Chambered nautiluses and sepioids (Nautilidae, Sepiidae, Sepiolidae, Sepiadariidae, Idiosepiidae and Spirulidae).
Reproduction and Life Cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://cuttlefishsepiida.weebly.com/reproduction-and-life-cycle.html
FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 4, Vol. 1. Rome, FAO. 2005. 262p. 9 colour plates. pp. 56 - 61.
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@neotropolisevent is a week away so check out the communication device I made for my Sepioid alien named Sqip! Forming human words with soft face flappies is tough so this device will help her communicate with (most of) the inhabitants on Kepler-609c! I made this device using a sound board kit from @adafruit and hand holding from my bf @tripdwyr ❤️! Plus heat bent laser cut acrylic pieces and lots of little greeblies. The alien arm sleeves are an airbrushed uv blocking bolero top. The bodysuit is from @demobaza ( thank you for the early shipping!) You can see the head I made for Sqip by visiting my past posts #missmonster #missmonstermel #alien #neotropolis #prop #adafruit #demobaza
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AVAILABLE! Use the link in my profile! “Sepioids are peaceful, curious aliens who evolved in low gravity that somehow supports a very humid lower atmosphere. Their scent/respiratory sensory organs are located on the back of their round heads, the appendages constantly refresh moisture much like a human eye blink. Their mouth appendages are used to produce bubbling singing speech, and for gesturing and emotional signalling, in constant intricate motion. However, when visiting higher grav worlds, these tend to be held tightly together while a vocal translator is used for communication. One speculates that gravity exerts too much pull for them to speak with the same graceful articulation, much like a human trying to speak after a shot of paralyzing novocaine. Sepioids are able to keep their jelly- like bodies upright and ambulatory for short periods of time while visiting higher gravity environs but must retire to a tide pool float pod for several hours for sleep and recovery. Many of them can be seen with curious semi transparent carapace sitting over their forehead. This is in fact another living creature! These symbiotic amphibious animals spend most of their life in a flat jellyfish like stage until they are ready to reach the next life cycle by attaching to a Sepioid, permanently shaping themselves to the round forehead. It is unknown what the mutual benefit is for both creatures but it is speculated it provides some sort of armor or sensory enhancement for the Sepioid while the jelly-creature gets free meals and protection for the rest of their life.” This piece has been painted with a gajillion layers of color and iridescent paint! It took me a very long time to get the paint just right and the color scheme is based on a halitrephes jellyfish. Song is Warp Whistle by Fartbarf. Original sculpted in @monsterclayusa and cast in materials from @smoothon #missmonster #missmonstermel #sepioid #alien #halitrephes #cuttlefish #scifi #prop #mask
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Small edition of translucent glow Alien kit is now up in the s h o p as a preorder. All info you need is in the item listing- good luck! #missmonster #missmonsternel #sepioid #alien #prop #mask #costume #scifi
( i know tags go down there but I just copy paste between platforms and I’m just too tired to care. I am so so so tired, y’all. )
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A little UV footage of the alien! Is it weird that I want to live in this mask forever? (What is weird anyway, who cares!) If anyone else wants to transform themselves into a creature they want to live in forever, i will have cast kits of this wearable sculpture up for preorder this Friday at 2pm PST! The listing is live n my s h o p now so that all info / tutorials are available to read now but it will not be available until the preorder is open. #missmonster #missmonstermel #sepioid #cuttlefish #alien #mask #propmaking #costume #originalcharacter
#missmonster#missmonstermel#I know tags go here#I don’t care#I copy paste between platforms#im very tired#mask#prop
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Making some Sepioid alien (aka Space Flap) galactic feather charms to include with the special translucent edition mask kit preorder! Laser cut acrylic, how about that glow in the dark? 👀👀 Thanks to @houstonacrylic for such a great library of materials to choose from! I may make these as a s h o p item too, yeah? #missmonster #missmonstermel #sepioid #spaceflap #alien #acryliccharm #prop
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It is really tough to try a good video of this cast glowing under UV and glowing in the dark! But the small edition of the translucent alien mask kit has a bottom layer of opaque pink glow in the dark coloring! The brightness will fluoresce differently depending on how thick or thin the two top translucent layers are! Every casting will be different. There is a draft of the listing up in the shop right now so that people can read through the tutorials and info before it goes live Friday the 16th at 2pm PST. I will add a few things to it later today. It will say sold out but ignore this) I will open for non translucent blanks in the future but since casting the transparent versions is so finicky, I want to do it right by limiting the number available for this first release. #missmonster #missmonstermel #sepioid #mask #alien #pro
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It is really tough to try a good video of this cast glowing under UV and glowing in the dark! But the small edition of the translucent alien mask kit has a bottom layer of opaque pink glow in the dark coloring! The brightness will fluoresce differently depending on how thick or thin the two top translucent layers are! Every casting will be different. There is a draft of the listing up in the shop right now so that people can read through the tutorials and info before it goes live Friday the 16th at 2pm PST. I will add a few things to it later today. It will say sold out but ignore this) I will open for non translucent blanks in the future but since casting the transparent versions is so finicky, I want to do it right by limiting the number available for this first release. #missmonster #missmonstermel #sepioid #mask #alien #prop
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