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Giant Australian Cuttlefish | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Giant Australian Cuttlefish

Sepia apama

CephalopodaRocky reefs and seagrass beds in temperate southern Australian coastal watersLeast Concern

Field profile

The giant Australian cuttlefish is the largest cuttlefish species, reaching about half a metre in mantle length. Each winter, tens of thousands gather to spawn on a short stretch of rocky reef in upper Spencer Gulf, South Australia.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-05-12

Giant Australian Cuttlefish

Small male cuttlefish court by looking like females

At the Spencer Gulf spawning aggregation, large male cuttlefish guard individual females directly and fight off rivals. Smaller males instead adopt female colouration and posture, hide their fourth arm pair, and are admitted past the guard to mate.

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