Howdy all, my daughter recently caught a wild cuttlefish in the tidal pools at Myrtle Beach, SC. (I have 3 poor pictures). My research, so far, showed that there were only 2 types - one in England and one off Hawaii. Are there native east coast species, and, if so, what are they?

Howdy all, my daughter recently caught a wild cuttlefish in the tidal pools at Myrtle Beach, SC. (I have 3 poor pictures). My research, so far, showed that there were only 2 types - one in England and one off Hawaii. Are there native east coast species, and, if so, what are they?

Actually, although there are lots of cuttle species, there aren't any that are native to either coast of the U.S. or Hawaii... could it be a bobtail squid of some sort? Or maybe someone abandoned a pet?

I'm looking forward to the pictures...

oh, and :welcome: to TONMO!

Most likely not a cuttlefish, but wed love to see the pictures!

Definitely a cuttlefish. Not being snide or anything. Short tenacles, barreled rear body with outside fin all the way around. It was aprox. 3 inches long and it was opaque, except for the spots. It inked in the small container my daughter caught it in. We let it go 20 minutes later. I knew you would ask for the pictures. My laptop is being fixed and it will be available soon and I will post them then. you can see the outlines ands spots easy, as well as the eyes.

It appeared to be hunting in the tidal pools. I looked at the bobtail and this wasnt the same. My daughter was trying to catch the fish it was after when she caught the cuttlefish. It went opaque after that.

Very unusual! As monty mentioned, there are no local species in US waters. Perhaps an abandoned pet? Now im more interested in the pics!

Wow. That's quite a find.

I wonder what kind of ecological imbalance some spawning cuttlefish would create in US waters.

Did it look like this:
http://thecephalopodpage.org/_images/JBW-Bon9.JPG
http://www.cephbase.org/imgdb/images/Cb0514.jpg

From http://thecephalopodpage.org/Ssepioidea.php :

Sepioteuthis sepioidea, the Caribbean Reef squid, is commonly observed in shallow near shore water of the Caribbean by divers and snorkelers. These squid are often confused with cuttlefish because their large fins wrap around their mantles. They are also broader than many squid and these traits make them look like cuttlefish (Sepia). Actually, if you look at their scientific name you will see that scientists also noticed that these guys look like cuttlefish—the "Sepio" which is in the genus and specific name refers to the fact that they look like cuttlefish while the "teuthis" tells one that they really are a squid. For the record, there are no true cuttlefish (Order Sepiida) off of North America although there are some Sepiolids.

With species showing up further and further north each year, this one seems like a good candidate for the animal you found. I would be very surprised if the animal you found was indeed a cuttlefish, but stranger things have happened.

Wow this is very interesting if it really is a cuttlefish. I'll go with the abandoned pet theory if it is one, but most likely its a squid. People mix them up all the time.

Cool, but I dont believe so. I see the similarities but this squid is more substantial than the creature we captured. It may be that we caught a juvenile or someones pet as well. Endless possibilities.

I warn all that the pics are poor quality....

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Looks like a squid best I can tell.

thanks for the pix!

I tend to think Thales is on the right track, and it looks like Sepioteuthis. I used to get those mixed up with cuttlefish a lot, too (and the Latin name pretty much means "squid that looks like a cuttlefish) but they're a bit more streamlined, and their fins are not quite the same shape as a cuttle's skirt, and tend to be thicker.

How big was the creature? It looks like a juvenile to me... maybe Loligo.

How big was the creature? It looks like a juvenile to me... maybe Loligo.

I was thinking Loligo at first, but the fins seem too big, for an adult at least. Do the juveniles have disproportionately bigger fins?

its a squid we(i live in charleston) have a small species of squid that is usually pink to clear and only gets about 3 inches in lenth. i dont know the name but a friend of mine could tell you. anyway i go flounder gigging alot around charleston and i see them all the time. im impressed you were able to catch one, ive been trying for years and they are always too fast for me to catch

its either going to be a Loligo or Loliguncula...

The way the fins look in the first pic make me lean toward Sepioteuthis. I would love to catch any squid...

Very hard to make out...but its definitely a yellow box with eyes!

The way the fins look in the first pic make me lean toward Sepioteuthis. I would love to catch any squid...

don't think we get them around here...

I am going to have to go with the brief squid, [I]Loliguncuela brevis[I], also known as the bay squid in my neck of the woods. The coloration and shape seem to be identical.

Greg

I am going to have to go with the brief squid, [I]Loliguncuela brevis[I], also known as the bay squid in my neck of the woods. The coloration and shape seem to be identical.

Greg

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/info/brief_squid.cfm does show some pics that are pretty similar in patterning. I was thinking the fins go all the way along the mantle in the mystery squid, which seems different, but maybe I just can't see them well enough...

edit: nevermind; I was seeing the square at the bottom of the container as the fins... :bonk:

As Greg stated I am almost possitive that it is a Lolliguncula brevis which is found from the Gulf of Mexico and up the East Coast. They can get up to about 4-5inches long. It would not be uncommon to find them near shore.

:oops: on the bad spelling.....

but tis one of the 2 susprcts (the third being obviously different)....

Ok, I will definitely check up on the squids. Like to know what the one is from Charleston. To catch one, check the tidle pools after midnight. She used a kids generic net. Aprreciate the help. Goes towards science projects in school.

I believe that Lolliguncula brevis pretty well nails it down. I went to the webpage above and the upper picture displayed is the one. Cool.