The cuttlefish is a carnivorous and predatory cephalopod mollusc and can reach a length of around 40 cm, with the oval body being dorso-ventrally flattened. Like the common squid and “totano” squid, the cuttlefish also has two fins flanking its mantle; internally, it has a hard, porous calcified structure known as a cuttlebone. The body also contains a special sac storing the animal’s “ink”, a liquid that is sprayed out when it is threatened and serves to disorient predators and enable it to effect its escape. The eyes are large and protruding and the mouth is equipped with a hard beak. The mouth is surrounded by ten arms, two of which are long, prehensile and retractable tentacles, with suckers on the tips enabling it to secure its prey, while the other eight arms have four sets of suckers and are used to convey food to the mouth. Cuttlefish have a remarkable ability to change colour in just a few seconds to match their surroundings. Males and females both live on sandy or muddy coastal bottoms or in seagrass meadows. They migrate in spring for reproductive purposes, when they approach the coast to lay their eggs, and in autumn, when the newly born larvae swim out to deeper water. The eggs are laid in black clusters resembling bunches of grapes, known as “uva di mare” (sea grapes), which develop into tiny cuttlefish that are the exact replicas of the adults, the time taken depending on the water temperature. Thereafter, they grow quickly and reach a weight of 100 g in around six months. The cuttlefish’s life cycle is very brief, the animal achieving sexual maturity after only a few months and dying on average after two years. Minimum size 7 cm.