Tehil David

The Common Cuttlefish (scientific name Sepia officinalis) is also known by the name European Common Cuttlefish. They are the largest Cuttlefish species that are known and identified.

They are migratory mollusks and tend to live in specific temperate and tropical environments. They are mostly found in the southern and eastern parts of Asia, coastal regions of Australia and Africa, and in Europe.

They can survive on sandy and muddy lands and have a high tolerance for brackish water. They also inhabit the Mediterranean seas.

They have a big size and are bigger as compared to Channel Catfish and Rainbow trout. Cuttlefish are large animals and contain a mantle that stores the internal shell named the cuttlebone.

The internal shell provides buoyancy to the animal. Cuttlebone has a high market value in the bird industry since it can be used to shape the beak of a bird and are a high source of calcium. These cephalopods can change the texture of their skin and can disguise themselves to camouflage.

They can change color due to the presence of light-scattering leucophores on their skin. They have highly developed eyes which help them to see light around their surroundings inside water.

They are predators and capture animals with the aid of their eight arms and two tentacles. They then immobilize the animals completely with the help of the ink secreted by their body.

They breed in the summer and spring seasons and use their camouflage abilities to search for and attract partners. Read on to discover more about these exciting cephalopods!

Found mainly around southern Florida, Bermuda, Texas, and throughout the Caribbean sea, blue land crabs or Florida land crabs are a type of semi-terrestrial crabs, that is, they live both on land and in water, but spend most of their lives outside water.

These crabs are comparatively giant in size, measuring up to 6 in (15 cm), with one large claw and a small one.

Though, they are comparatively smaller than the Horseshoe crab and Spider crab. The males are usually bigger than the females and spend most of their lives inside their burrows.

These burrows are found at some distance from the shoreline and can sometimes be as deep as 2 yd (6 ft) and contain a puddle of water underneath to provide moisture.

Though blue land crabs are omnivorous, they mostly prefer vegetarian food like plants, leaves, berries, grasses. They even feed on insects and carrions.

These crabs are limited to a certain area given their sensitivity to cold weather. They are widely used as food in the regions like the Caribbean and Florida and are harvested on a large scale. These crabs produce offspring in very large amounts at once, hence, are used widely.

Given their giant size, they are not preyed upon much in adult life, the only animals that prey on these giant crabs are birds, humans, and other mammals (wild hogs, great blue herons). They are more prone to be preyed on in the larval stage by predators like sea nettle, juvenile bonefish, or French grunt.

The exploitation of these animals, however, has been a matter of concern for quite some time.

Florida has now put up a law that prohibits people from hunting down these crabs, especially during the mating season. Read on to discover fun facts about these crabs!

Have you ever heard of any bird that makes the sound of a dog? That's right! The Barking Owl (Ninox connivens) from the Australian continental region makes the sound of a dog.

Barking Owls are carnivorous nocturnal birds that prey on other small creatures. Be it a fast rabbit or a swift squirrel, nothing escapes its deadly claws.

They are covered in gray-brown feathers with white spots on them. These spots together form stripes on the owl's chest. With their radiant gray-brown feathers, magnificent yellow eyes, and yellow-skinned sharp claws, these killing machines are one of a kind.

The Barking Owl, also known as the Winking Owl, inhabits the northern and southern continental regions of Australia. Free in the fauna, hearing the Barking Owl sound is common for the natives of those places. This medium-sized bird is a symbol of love too.

It lives in pairs that last for life. The breeding season starts in July and lasts up to October in the whole continent.

The female lays two to three eggs after an incubation period of 36 days. Being nesting partners they know their duties well. The male searches for food while the female stays back in the nest to guard the kids.

A range of fun facts and interesting facts along with a heap of other interesting information awaits you below. If you enjoy reading animal facts or bird facts then you must also visit our Hawk facts and Song Thrush facts pages. You will not regret it!