Sexually Intense Lives of Giant Cuttlefish | Mini Documentary

Each winter the Giant Cuttlefish mating season begins! These incredible Cephalopods literally live to mate. Their average life span is around 2 years, and after mating majority of these animals will perish. This film was shot at Shelly Beach, just off Manly Beach in Sydney Australia. These unique animals are only found in Southern Australian waters.

Inside the shelter of Cabbage Tree Bay at Shelly Beach each year swarms of these Cuttlefish aggregate with the goal of mating. The male Cuttlefish will put on displays and ‘mating dances’ by changing the colour and texture of their skin. The more vibrant the display, the more attractive he is to a prospective female. Interestingly, these animals are able to change both their skin colour and texture to match their surroundings, yet they are colour blind. Scientists to this day cannot agree on how this is possible – the marvels of the underwater world!

Like most cases in the animal kingdom, mating is difficult. Female Cuttlefish generally outnumber males up to 11 to 1, making it particularly hard for males to find a mate. This results in a lot of aggression from the males, and regularly causes fights among the population as males do whatever they can to win over a female. In the cuttlefish world this generally means that the larger the male cuttlefish is, the more he is able to dominate and fend off other potential males.

But this is where it gets interesting. Giant Cuttlefish have the ability to change their skin colour and texture, and by changing their appearance and hiding a number of their more prominent tentacles they can literally mould themselves into appearing as the opposite sex. Not even the cuttlefish can tell the difference between a female and a small male who’s disguised himself as a female! These sneaky cross-dressing males are able to slip past other males who are distracted and are fending off their mate, and quickly mate with the female before the commotion outside comes to a close. And incredible display of adapting to your environment!

Hope you enjoyed this short mini documentary!

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Camera Gear Used:
– Sony A7III
– Sony 16-35mm f4
– Sigma 24-70 f2.8 Art
– Sony 50mm f1.8
– Sony A6500
– Sony 18-105mm G F4
– Sigma 35mm F1.4
– 1x sneaky GoPro Hero 3+ Black shot (theres 1 shot taken on this camera, it’s an old shot of the dead Cuttlefish at the end of the film)
– Seau0026Sea Underwater Housing and Domes
– OrcaTorch D950v and D910v Video Lights
– Zhiyun Weebill S, and Zhiyun Crane Gimbals
– DJI Mavic Drone