~ my new octopus tattoo
Since I haven’t done many posts lately, I thought I’d make up for it with a pre-written informational poem about- what else?- flamboyant cuttlefish! Well, it’s more of an instructional guide on how to be a flamboyant cuttlefish… sorry if I get some parts wrong, there isn’t much information I could find via interwebs which led to a few educated guesses! And now for the poem itself.
How to Be a Flamboyant Cuttlfish (M. pfefferi)
Develop in translucent egg casings, slightly larger than a pea
Break through your confines and after this, you must flee.
Amble upon the sea floor, a unique trait of your kind
Small cuttlebones prevent floating, but of this you do not mind.
Speaking of size, a maximum three inch growth is to be known
Considering what you lack in magnitude you make up in throne.
Possess a maximum mantle, papillae, and hectocotylus (if male)
Flaunt your powerful tentacle clubs and useful cromatophores, which help your skin tell a tale.
Scour the seafloor for benthic creatures like tasty ichthyoids, stomatopods, and crustaceans.
Drift from Indonesia to Malaysia, yet the Philippines is your prime destination.
Keep cautious of predators with your notably developed camera eye
Avoid falling prey to cetaceans, elasmobranches, and even cephalopods, oh my.
Deter predation with your psuedomorphs and highly toxic muscle tissue Expect Homo sapiens to be your cardinal issue.
Ignore the emperor shrimp hitching a ride on your dorsal side
Desiring the cease of commensalism does little to change the tides.
Mate with the opposing sex, and whether you’re receiving spermatophores is under consideration
Hide from dominant males who have total intention of inflicting liaisons.
Complete the mating process and conquer unmerited rivals every now and then
Dying of senescence, you have continued the process all over again!
Photo by Hal Beral.
