THEN AND NOW: Watch how the cuttlefish at uShaka Marine World have grown
Have you ever wondered what a baby cuttlefish looks like? If not, prepare yourself for a cuteness overload!
AFTER just a few months in the care of the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr), a shoal of cephalopods, in this case, cuttlefish, have grown exponentially and are healthy.
When the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board crew inspect the nets, they often keep a lookout for clusters of eggs that are sometimes attached to the shark nets.
ALSO READ: uShaka staff ‘shell-ebrate’ turtle’s release
At the end of October last year, the crew contacted Saambr to say they found a bunch of cuttlefish eggs.
“We collected the eggs and suspended them in a tank with running water and aeration. To everyone’s delight, they started hatching 18 days later. Approximately 100 baby cuttlefish hatched within 24 hours of the first hatchling,” said Saambr’s Ann Kunz.
The babies were initially fed on brine and mysid shrimp and, as they grew larger, freshwater guppies that were acclimated to sea water.
ALSO READ: uShaka takes in third undernourished penguin
Twenty-five of the cuttlefish were moved to an exhibit in the aquarium on 20 February this year and the balance will be released once they grow a little larger. On 27 June, the organisation shared a video of the recently hatched cuttlefish on Facebook (below).
https://www.facebook.com/saambr1/posts/2115719735219955
It’s now five-and-a-half months later and they have grown considerably during that time (see below).
https://www.facebook.com/saambr1/posts/2294061844052409
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