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DATING ADVICE

From a cuttlefish?

UNLOCKING THE EMOTIONAL SECRETS OF THE CUTTLEFISH DATING GAME

Managing our emotions can be tricky for all of us, particularly when it comes to the realm of dating. Surprisingly, one of the masters might just be the cuttlefish! The Our Oceans team knew no boundaries in the ambition of our stories, if we heard of something truly amazing happening, then it was on the Our Oceans hit list!

So when we heard a rumor of a mind blowing cuttlefish behavior in Japan, where a male cuttlefish must learn to split its personality in two, we knew a challenge could be on! We looked to the cuttlefish's human neighbors, and would discover that not

only could we learn the incredible secrets of Japan’s broadclub cuttlefish from local wisdom, but we could all learn something about emotional control from the cuttlefish themselves!

"Our mission with our oceans was to showcase the relatability of marine life, revealing their intelligence, and emotions. What may have once seemed slimy and alien to us, we know recognise as creatures facing everyday challenges much like our own."

- Jonathan Smith, Our Oceans Series Producer

underwater filming cuttlefish

DoP Roger Munns films broadclub cuttlefish off the coast of Japan

Broadclub cuttlefish possess a remarkable ability - they can change the color and texture of their skin at will. While they primarily use this skill for camouflage, they also employ it to express emotions. Where we rely on facial expressions, they communicate through body language, colors, patterns and texture.

 

But it turns out their prowess goes further: they can ‘split’ their body down the middle, displaying one emotion on one half and a completely different one on the other, simultaneously!

 

This skill is crucial for young males attempting to court females while fending off larger, more aggressive rivals. The young male learns that by presenting a calm and passive side to the female while appearing aggressive and dominant on the other, he can keep her interested while warding off competitors. He’s essentially showing extraordinary anger management and awareness, something that blew our minds and set us the challenge of trying to film it!

How local wisdom led to a global filmmaking triumph

The tale of cuttlefish anger management surfaced as a result of tapping into different communities working in the ocean space and that could only be unlocked through local partnerships and building a global approach to filmmaking. The unique split-skin behavior had indeed been observed by recreational divers and photographers.

Local diver Itaru Titaka was fundamental in achieving this sequence. With decades of experience working in the area his local knowledge was paramount to our success because he knew that to succeed, our timing had to be perfect. The cuttlefish aggregation only happens for a few weeks of the year when a part of the Global Ocean Current, called the Kuroshio current, warms the waters of Japan. During the shoot Itaru would look out to sea waiting for the color change in water that signaled the current shift and on one day lowered his hand into the water and confirmed to the team “Kuroshio has arrived, they will spawn tomorrow”. His insights allowed our film crew, including local filmmaker Masahiko, series DoP Roger Munns, and Our Oceans Assistant Producer Ollie Deppert, to capture this extraordinary behavior on camera.

Scuba diving crew ready to film cuttlefish

DoP Roger Munns, Assistant Producer Oliver Deppert , Koichi Shiraishi, Itaru Tataka and Masayoshi Kondo Filming in Japan

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