Giant cuttlebone!

As a kid growing up in France I loved finding cuttlebones on the beach. I kept marvelling at the structure of this internal shell, which only cuttlefish have. The cuttlebones I could find didn't exceed a few centimetres. Here on the Victorian beaches about an hour's drive from Melbourne, you can find the biggest cuttlebones I have ever come across (see the photo below). This gives you an idea of the size of the cuttlefish which live in these waters… Cuttlefish have ink like squids and octopuses. Did you know that you can read a cuttlebone to find out how many times a cuttlefish has released ink during their lifetime? If the animal has released ink, there will be a thick black line on the inside of the shell structure. Easy!