201k views
5 votes
What kind of shell do cuttlefish (cephalopoda) have

User Dspeyer
by
8.1k points

1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

Cuttlefish have an internal, porous shell known as a cuttlebone, which is used for buoyancy and as an external source of calcium carbonate for other animals.

Step-by-step explanation:

The cuttlefish, a marine animal within the class Cephalopoda, possesses an internal shell known as a cuttlebone. This structure is not an external shell like that of a snail but is instead a reduced, internal shell which performs a variety of functions. Cuttlebones are lightweight, porous, and composed of aragonite. They serve multiple roles, including providing buoyancy control for the animal in water and serving as a source of calcium carbonate for other purposes, such as smoothing bird beaks or as a dietary supplement for birds like chickens and quail. While other members of the class Cephalopoda, such as the Nautilus, have an external multi-chambered shell, the cuttlefish showcases an evolutionary path where the shell is not external but internal and greatly reduced in size.

User SuReSh PaTi
by
8.3k points

Related questions

Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.