Cuttlehunter
Taxonomy
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Ancestors and Descendants
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Creator: ZoologicalBotanist
Habitat: Abacaba Ocean - Twilight Zone (Adults), West Gemstar Temperate Coast (Young)
Size: 1 Meter Long
Diet: Carnivore (Adult: Nautaldeep, Cuttlenaut, Mimicuttle), Scavenger (Young)
Reproduction: Sexual, Eggs laid in costal areas near torpnaut corpse piles
The cuttlehunter split from its ancestor as a population moved into deeper waters. Now fully red, the cuttlehunter is nearly invisible, due to the lack of light. Since red is the shortest wavelength, red light does not travel very far in the twilight zone, making it an excellent way to stay hidden. Longer tentacles allow for better mobility and allow the cuttlehunter to grab its prey and hold on to it much better. The cuttlehunter hunts species in the mimicuttle family, such as the mimicuttle and the nautaldeep. To find its prey, it has a bioluminescent red patch under each eye that acts as a flashlight. Any creature with red pigmentation stands out plain as day when the light shines on them. Cuttlehunters lay their eggs at night. A female cuttlehunter will approach a torpnaut nest while her mate distracts the mother. Once she reaches the nest, she lays her already fertilized eggs with the torpnaut eggs. Young cuttlehunters will feed on the corpse pile once they hatch, and will continue to scavenge until they are three months old. Then, they leave the coasts and move to deeper water where they will begin feeding on smaller mimicuttle, eating larger ones as they grow.