大象传媒

Cuttlefish only visit Britain's warmer southern waters in summer, and stay with us for a couple of months. Once they've mated they lay their eggs which are usually attached to seagrass - but an old bit of mooring rope is an equally good nursery. As they begin to emerge the eggs are first fertilised by sperm stored near the female's mouth, then they are stained with ink to camouflage them.They emerge from a tube beneath her tentacles, and their stalk is twined about the rope to anchor them safely. They'll take about six weeks to develop. The mini-replica of the adult is about the size of a pea. Even at this stage it can squirt ink and is a master of camouflage.