The minds of molluscs

"Cuttlefish: Kings of Camouflage" is a Nova documentary about the cuttlefish, a creature related to the octopus and the squid. Apart from a lot of actual cuttlefish, we get to meet some of the scientists studying them, both wild in nature and in the laboratory.

The cuttlefish can change their colours and the texture of their skin in the blink of an eye, giving them near-perfect camouflage. The camouflage is a life and death issue for these creatures, since dolphins, sea-lions, sharks and humans love to devour cuttlefish, if and when they can get their jaws around one!

Cuttlefish blink like neon lights when hunting prey, almost as if to hypnotize the poor crabs and other smaller creatures that are on their menu. The mating rituals of some cuttlefish are especially bizarre, with "cross dressing" males (males pretending to be females) having larger reproductive success than the aggressive, more obvious males. Meanwhile in the laboratory, a team of researchers discover that cuttlefish pass elementary learning tests with flying colours. Apparently, they are also much better with lab equipment than octopi, which constantly try to destroy everything they lay their hands (or arms) on!

The documentary ends with experiments on the so-called flamboyant cuttlefish, confirming that it's toxic. This particular species is unique in another way, too: they are the only cuttlefish that walk on the sea bottom, rather than swim.

"Kings of Camouflage" is probably a must if you love weird animals or strange stuff in general, and the footage is superb. It seems cuttlefish are just as exciting (or even more so) than their cephalopod cousins. Five stars.