A flamboyant cuttlefish can seem to walk across the sand, using parts of its arms and body to move along the bottom. Then yellow, white, purple, and reddish patterns may brighten its skin.
The species is now often called Ascarosepion pfefferi. Older sources use Metasepia pfefferi. Both names refer to the same remarkable cuttlefish.
The bright display is only one appearance
The Monterey Bay Aquarium species account explains that camouflage is its primary defense. Many photographs show a dramatic display rather than the animal's everyday appearance.
It can blend with a dull seabed instead of remaining permanently bright. That makes a quiet brown individual just as real as a vivid yellow one.
A different way to get around
A close look at its movement shows how this small cuttlefish uses arms and body flaps to step over the bottom.
It can swim too, with fins moving along the sides. The strolling motion is an additional option, not evidence that it is unable to leave the sand.
Its eight arms differ from its two specialized feeding tentacles. Those tentacles can shoot forward to seize prey, turning a slow approach into a quick capture.
A small predator with a busy skin
Crustaceans and small fishes form its diet. Like other cuttlefish, it can control pigment-containing cells in the skin to change its visible pattern.
The aquarium's cephalopod overview describes how feeding tools and color displays fit into this wider animal group.
Notice the seabed as well as the colors
This species lives in the Indo-Pacific, including waters around Indonesia, northern Australia, and Papua New Guinea.
A soft-bottom habitat may lack the obvious drama of a coral wall, yet it supports animals with intricate ways to hunt and hide.
The real wonder is the combination: a small animal that can blend into the sand, step across it, and suddenly reveal a brilliant moving pattern.
Photo credits
Featured image: Ascarosepion pfefferi (14519167637).jpg — Christian Gloor from Wakatobi Dive Resort, Indonesia; CC BY 2.0.
Body image 1: Ascarosepion pfefferi grabs shrimp with tentacles frame.jpg — Rhinopias ( User:Rhinopias ); CC BY-SA 3.0.
Body image 2: Flamboyant Cuttlefish (Ascarosepion pfefferi) (6059304763).jpg — Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE; CC BY-SA 2.0.
Images supplied at web display size where available.