Good question (and no i would never refer to our northern visitors as
misplaced.
Yea the cuttle bone deliamea has me stumped also . maybe it was a freak
orphan of sorts or maybe it was a wayward escapee? but i know what i saw and
i'm stick'n to it. like i said before, got too close , in great visablity to
misidentify such a strange creature , plus the fact off the shifting colors
and patterns , this is a charactoristic of the most evolved cephlapods like
octopi and cuttlefish. I also remember that most gastropods , cephlaods and
even bivalia still can't read our reference books and are found outside
there respective realms . ferret, the tanacious weasel.



From: Monfils, Paul <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thursday, November 11, 1999 7:19 PM
Subject: Re: Cuttlefish


>Mark,
>I hope that "misplaced creature" comment doesn't include New Englanders
>visiting Florida!!
>Seriously though, if cuttlefish do inhabit Florida/Caribbean waters, surely
>the "cuttlebone" (the internal "shell" of the creature) would be found on
>the beaches.  Cuttlefish are typically shallow water animals, as far as I
>know.  The cuttlebone is rather large (4 to 6 inches in length) and white,
>and would be fairly hard to miss, though some folks might not know what it
>was if they found it - they might mistake it for a piece of styrofoam.  (If
>you don't know what it looks like, check the bird section of your pet
store.
>Cuttlebone is sold as a calcium source for birds - though they are often
>trimmed to fit into the package.).  Also, cuttlebone is less dense than
>water, so it would rise to the surface and float ashore after being
released
>from the decaying body of a dead specimen (just the way Spirula shells are
>released).  So, I find it hard to imagine that these animals would be
>inhabiting a particular area without the evidence washing ashore at least
>occasionally.  Has anyone ever found a cuttlebone in the Florida/Caribbean
>area?
>Regards,
>Paul M.
>