Several dozen baby cuttlefish have been born at Nausicaa, the French National Sea Centre in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Staff at Nausicaa looked after a clutch of eggs that were given to them by a fisherman and their special care has been rewarded by the births.
Some of these babies have now joined Nausicaa’s new exhibition, ‘Climate & Ocean: Getting Hot in Here!’. The others have been kept in reserve so that the Nausicaa team can feed them and monitor their development.
Cuttlefish lay eggs, which are more commonly known as ‘sea grapes’. When they hatch, the baby cuttlefish are already miniature versions of an adult; there is no larval stage, as in other molluscs. The young cuttlefish seek out sheltered spots, where they can camouflage themselves and catch their prey more easily.
The Nausicaa Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are cephalopod molluscs, which literally means that their feet are attached to their head. Cuttlefish and cephalopods in general are the most intelligent of all molluscs. Cuttlefish propel themselves backwards by squirting water out of their siphon and hover by moving the fin that runs around their body in an undulating fashion. They can be found along all coastlines in Western Europe and West Africa. Cephalopods have a very short lifespan of about two years, so they grow very quickly, and can reach a maximum size of 45 centimetres. Cuttlefish are predators and hunt small fish, crustaceans and molluscs near the sea bed. Every year, 14,000 tonnes of cuttlefish are fished around the world to be eaten by humans.
Shark Week – Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November 2015
Nausicaa, the French National Sea Centre in Boulogne-sur-Mer will be offering its visitors a special opportunity to find out more about sharks, with new programmes presented in its entertainment area designed to increase the public’s respect for these creatures.
Sharks have always had a reputation of being bloodthirsty hunters and maneaters! But the reality is quite different. Of the 500 species listed across the world’s oceans, very few actually pose a threat to Man. In most cases, they are fearful and mistrustful of humans! However, they are right at the top of the marine food chain and, as such, play a vital role in maintaining the balance of animal populations.
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