Sepiola atlantica

Sublittoral inshore shallows, occasionally stranded in shore pools, to 150 metres. Clean sand or fine shell gravel substrate. Sometimes nektonic; fins move like wings to propel forwards or backwards [2]. Exhalent funnel expels water steadily downwards to hover motionless [3], and strongly forwards to escape backwards (mantle-first) from danger [5]. Often benthic during daytime, lying buried in sand [8] awaiting small crustacea. Concealment takes 20 seconds; exhalent funnel blows depression in sand, blown sand settles on top of sepiole; arms move any stones and brush sand to complete cover.
By expanding or contracting different chromatophores, colour can change dramatically in less than a second to provide camouflage [9] or startle and distract attackers, often with dark sienna [4]. Sometimes discharges viscous sepia to distract predator as it jets away. Small crustacea [6] caught by rapidly uncurled pair of long captorial tentacles. Predators include fish. During mating on seabed, male holds female from below and behind while specialised left dorsal arm, hectocotylus, transfers spermatophores into her mantle cavity (TOL image). Between 30 and 150 eggs deposited on firm surfaces in each of several nocturnal spawning bouts spread over about three weeks. Female dies shortly after spawning. Young about 1.5mm long at hatching. Resemble miniature adults with relatively shorter arms and tentacles.