Hastings fishermen deliver sea grapes to Blue Reef
Dozens of baby cuttlefish have found a new home at Blue Reef Aquarium after being saved by local fishermen.
The Old Town attraction hatched the mini-marvels after fishermen from the fleet at nearby Hastings Beach brought in a handful of eggs - known as sea grapes.
Each newly hatched cuttlefish measures less than a centimetre in length.
Blue Reef's Sophie McGachy said: "As the eggs develop they swell and the ink coating becomes thinner so you can see the tiny cuttlefish inside. To then see the babies swimming around the display when they've hatched is fantastic.
"They're exact miniature replicas of the adults and they all seem to be doing really well."
Cuttlefish are close relatives of the octopus. Like their eight-legged cousins they can change colour and even body shape to match their moods and escape predators by releasing a cloud of ink.
"They really are incredible creatures. For most people their only experience of cuttlefish is the remains of their hard internal shells washed up on the beach," added Sophie.
"When they see them hovering in mid-water or rapidly changing colour and shape as they communicate to each other they are absolutely amazed."
A fringe of fins around their bodies allow the cuttlefish to hover motionless, but they can also move at high speed by expelling a jet of water from a funnel on the underside of their heads.
Although they are believed to be highly intelligent, cuttlefish are relatively short lived creatures, with a maximum lifespan of 18 months.
For females the situation is even worse as they breed only once and die soon after laying their eggs.
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Weather for Lewes
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 15 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
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