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Cephalopod ink is a dark-coloured or luminous ink released into water by most species of cephalopod, usually as an escape mechanism. All cephalopods, with the exception of the Nautilidae and the Cirrina (deep-sea octopuses), [ 1 ] are able to release ink to confuse predators .
An ink sac is an anatomical feature that is found in many cephalopod mollusks used to produce the defensive cephalopod ink. With the exception of nocturnal and very deep water cephalopods , all Coleoidea (squid, octopus and cuttlefish) which dwell in light conditions have an ink sac, which can be used to expel a cloud of dark ink in order to ...
Anti-inflammatory uses [ edit ] In lab cell lines and various animal models, extracts from the hypobranchial gland have shown a variety of muscle relaxing properties including the ability to act as a neuromuscular block, an anticonvulsant, a pain killer, and a sedative.
Cephalopods are thought to be unable to live in fresh water due to multiple biochemical constraints, and in their >400 million year existence have never ventured into fully freshwater habitats. [10] Cephalopods occupy most of the depth of the ocean, from the abyssal plains to the sea surface, and have also been found in the hadal zone. [11]
Aristotle recorded observations (around 350 BC) of the antipredator behaviour of cephalopods in his History of Animals, including the use of ink as a distraction, camouflage, and signalling. [78] In 1940, Hugh Cott wrote a compendious study of camouflage, mimicry, and aposematism, Adaptive Coloration in Animals. [6]
Both the opaline and ink gland secrete different substances that when mixed together form the ink released during phagomimicry. The secretion is very acidic (ink having a pH of 4.9 and opaline having a pH of 5.8) and contains high levels of bioactive molecules that can serve as feeding stimulants, feeding deterrents, and aversive compounds.
They may have avoided predation by squirting ink, much like modern cephalopods; ink is occasionally preserved in fossil specimens. [ 34 ] Many ammonite shells have been found with round holes once interpreted as a result of limpets attaching themselves to the shells.
Coleoid cephalopods (including octopuses, squids and cuttlefish) have complex multicellular organs that they use to change colour rapidly, producing a wide variety of bright colours and patterns. Each chromatophore unit is composed of a single chromatophore cell and numerous muscle, nerve, glial , and sheath cells. [ 43 ]