Cuttlefish Kate

The life and times of an aspiring Marine Ecologist where there is no sink, there is only swim.

[cuttlefishkate]

Hello fellow ocean conservationists! I’m making a comeback on twitter(CuttlefishKate), instagram(Cuttlefish_Kate) and tumblr. Make sure you follow and check for updates on social media! 

[cuttlefishkate]

Hi all! *apologies for my second hiatus* but I have not been neglecting you all for nothing. I was recently employed by a conservation group in the Florida Keys! I'm working on reef restoration and conservation and pictured above is one of the restoration sites, beautiful Carysfort! I will *hopefully* be able to post more now I'm starting to get out of the training weeks so GET READY FOR SOME SEA CRITTERS!! Thanks for your continued support of Cuttlefish Kate! #marinescience #marinebiology #marinecritter #conservation #reefconservation #florida #science #diving #carysfort

[cuttlefishkate]

When the sea is like glass you don't even need to dive.. but you do anyway because it's diving and you're in the keys. #carysfort #diving #science #florida #reefconservation #crf #work #peopleemploymetodothis (at Carysfort Reef)

[cuttlefishkate]

Oh my manta! Manta rays are chrondrichthyes which means they are cartilaginous fish and are related to skates and sharks! Unlike their relatives however, they pose little threat to humans as they do not have sharp barbs nor do they have teeth as they are planktivores! More to come! #marinebiologyshots #manta #mantaray #marinescience #ningalooreef #marinebiology (at Exmouth, Western Australia)

[cuttlefishkate]

I'm feeling crabby this Tuesday(😂😂) just kidding, I'm in the Florida keys helping out with some shrimp research. Haven't been able to ID this crab yet it I just had to show y'all! Any ideas on the species?? #marinescience #marinebiology #coralreef #arthropod #floida (at Big Pine Key, Florida)

[cuttlefishkate]

Talk about a hateful 8! Octopuses have the ability to change not only their coloration using chromatophores, but also their texture! This amplifies their ability to blend in with their environment, unless they're on the hunt like this one! #octonation #octopus #mollusc #coralreef #cephalopod #marinebiology #marinescience (at Kalbarri, Western Australia)

[cuttlefishkate]

This parrot is ready for their close up! Parrot fish play a HUGE part in coral reef maintenance. These fishes have very large teeth that allows them to eat coral polyps and their calcium carbonate skeletons. The skeleton is eventually passed by the fish and settles to the ocean floor as sand, and the coral species remain diverse. **super fun fact: whole islands have been formed because of parrot fish poop, think about that next time you're on a beach!** #osteichthyes #marinescience #marinebiology #coralreef #fish #marinebiologyshots

[cuttlefishkate]

This post has a clown but it ain't a joke! 😂😂 (sorry, I just couldn't help myself) clownfish and specific species of anemones have a symbiotic relationship where the fish (which has a thick mucus layer to protect it) is provided protection by the anemone, and in return the anemone is rewarded with nutrients (in the form of waste... Yum!) Talk about #teamwork #clownfish #anemone #symbioticrelationship #coralreef #cnidaria #osteichthyes (at Turquoise Bay Ningaloo)

[cuttlefishkate]

'What is this?' Might you ask! At first glance, there may appear to be only cnidarians and algae, but on closer inspection there is a mollusk lurking! In a tiny cave amongst the corals an orange octopus is sheltered from the outside world. How on earth did it get in there you might ask, octopuses can get so big! Well yes, however octopuses have hydrostatic skeletons which allows them to fit anywhere that their beak can get through. And you were complaining about skinny jeans.. #marinebiology #marinescience #invertebrate #coralreef #mollusc #octonation #octopus (at Exmouth, Western Australia)

[cuttlefishkate]

Extra credit to who can identify this invertebrate properly (there's not any actual extra credit, though at one point in my life this was given to me on an exam and I totally got it wrong because it LOOKS like it could be a mollusk BUT in fact it's not. And if you're reading this far, well done. The answer is it's an ARTHROPOD! A GOOSE BARNACLE in fact! (HAH in that case it's really two animals 😂😂 okay I'm stopping now)) #marinebiology #marineecology #marinebiologyshots #intertidalecology #namethatorganism #portangeles #invertebrate

[cuttlefishkate]

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children" - Kenyan Proverb (at Ningaloo Marine Park, Exmouth Wa)

[cuttlefishkate]

'What is this?' Might you ask! At first glance, there may appear to be only cnidarians and algae, but on closer inspection there is a mollusk lurking! In a tiny cave amongst the corals an orange octopus is sheltered from the outside world. How on earth did it get in there you might ask, octopuses can get so big! Well yes, however octopuses have hydrostatic skeletons which allows them to fit anywhere that their beak can get through. And you were complaining about skinny jeans.. #marinebiology #marinescience #invertebrate #coralreef #mollusc #octonation #octopus (at Exmouth, Western Australia)

[cuttlefishkate]

Extra credit to who can identify this invertebrate properly (there's not any actual extra credit, though at one point in my life this was given to me on an exam and I totally got it wrong because it LOOKS like it could be a mollusk BUT in fact it's not. And if you're reading this far, well done. The answer is it's an ARTHROPOD! A GOOSE BARNACLE in fact! (HAH in that case it's really two animals 😂😂 okay I'm stopping now)) #marinebiology #marineecology #marinebiologyshots #intertidalecology #namethatorganism #portangeles #invertebrate

[cuttlefishkate]

It may not look it in this photo, but this Antheuplerua xanthogrammicas is HUGE! and at this wave exposed point in freshwater bay you would have thought you put a magnifying glass over everything! Mussels as big as my hand and their beds stretched for hundreds of yards. Its incredible how big a role location plays on the morphology of these invertebrates. #marinebiology #science #marinescience #marinebiologyshots #anemone #cnidaria

[cuttlefishkate]

This (not so little Gastropod) belongs to the Trochidae family! Species within this family can get to be 15 whole centimeters! Which may not seem like much until you realize that's 6 whole inches!! Okay, still not huge but let's give them a break. Well done Trochidae, A for effort! #gastropoda #intertidalzone #intertidalecology #snail #mollusc #marinebiologyshots

[cuttlefishkate]

If you happen to frequent the waters off the coast of Western Australia you may have seen this back boy trolling about! Chromodoris westraliensis is a nudibranch that is widely spread along Australia’s western coast and continues to exhibit the hardcore behavior that should be considered a synapomorphy of all nudibranchs. These slugs are so brightly colored because it acts as a warning system to all predators “I’m poisonous, don’t even try it.” And let’s be real, when its you against a nudibranch, who’d try it? Sure as hell not me. Photo credit : Christian Bell

[cuttlefishkate]

Linckia Laevigata is a blue sea star found in Indo-pacific waters! This bad boy was found off the coast of Exmouth, in Western Australia and has been known to exhibit vibrant blue and purple colors and reach sizes of 1 foot diameters! And let's be real yall, size matters.