{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "cuttlefish",
  "name": "Cuttlefish",
  "scientificName": "Sepia officinalis",
  "category": "Invertebrate",
  "summary": "The common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is a soft-bodied marine mollusc found over sandy seabeds and seagrass in coastal seas of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Despite its name it is not a fish but a cephalopod, related to octopuses and squid, and it can transform its colour and skin texture in a fraction of a second. It grows to about 50 cm including its arms, weighs around 2 kg, and lives only one to two years.",
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Mollusca",
    "class": "Cephalopoda",
    "order": "Sepiida",
    "family": "Sepiidae",
    "genus": "Sepia"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 2,
    "lengthM": 0.5,
    "topSpeedKmh": 25,
    "lifespanYears": 2
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Sepia officinalis"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Carnivore (fish, crabs, shrimp)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Coastal seas, sandy seabeds, and seagrass"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "1–2 years"
    },
    {
      "label": "Length",
      "value": "Up to about 50 cm (20 in) including arms"
    },
    {
      "label": "Top speed",
      "value": "Up to 25 km/h (16 mph) in a jet burst"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Coastal seas of the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, over sandy and seagrass seabeds.",
    "continents": [
      "Oceans"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "IUCN Red List — Sepia officinalis.",
      "url": "https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Sepia%20officinalis&searchType=species"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Sepia officinalis. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sepia_officinalis/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Wikipedia — Cuttlefish.",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_cuttlefish"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/cuttlefish/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/cuttlefish/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}