cuttlefish

noun cut·tle·fish \ ˈkə-tᵊl-ˌfish \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Definition of cuttlefish

: any of various marine cephalopod mollusks (order Sepioidea, especially genus Sepia) having eight short arms and two usually longer tentacles and differing from the related squid in having a calcified internal shell

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Recent Examples of cuttlefish from the Web

Pilot whales primarily eat squid but are also known to hunt octopus, cuttlefish and small fish when squid prove elusive, the American Cetacean Society said.

— alex horton, BostonGlobe.com, "No one could save a pilot whale that swallowed 17 pounds of plastic bags off Thailand," 3 June 2018
Pilot whales primarily eat squid but are also known to hunt octopus, cuttlefish and small fish when squid prove elusive, the American Cetacean Society said.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "No one could save a pilot whale that swallowed 17 pounds of plastic bags off Thailand," 3 June 2018
We were mesmerized by a forest of vibrant corals teaming with cuttlefish, giant purple clams and graceful sea turtles.

— rebecca albright, Scientific American, "Scientists Are Taking Extreme Steps to Help Corals Survive," 1 Jan. 2018
From there, head to Esther’s for a slice of Trees’ signature Lasagnete Nero: lobster lasagna with noodles colored by cuttlefish ink.

— Sunset, "Our Guide to Las Vegas’ Arts District," 22 Jan. 2018
Her team recorded nerve signals from three cephalopod species: a cuttlefish and two species of octopus.

— danna staaf, Science | AAAS, "How to put an octopus to sleep—and make cephalopod research more humane," 4 Apr. 2018
Ultimately the study may offer a path toward understanding other mysteries about cuttlefish.

— New York Times, "The Cuttlefish, a Master of Camouflage, Reveals a New Trick," 15 Feb. 2018
Kohei Okamoto and his research team hypothesized that the cuttlefish may be emulating hermit crabs in order to inconspicuously approach their prey or protect themselves against predators.

— hannah lang, National Geographic, "Cuttlefish Pretend to be Crabs to Catch More Fish," 8 June 2017
An inky battle ensued, and the researchers caught it all on video—the first record of cuttlefish competing for a mate in the wild.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Watch Two Cuttlefish Fiercely Battle Over a Mate," 3 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cuttlefish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.