The Mourning Cuttlefish (Sepia plangon) is a medium sized cuttlefish that belong to the cuttlefish family Sepidae. It is distributed around the eastern part of Australia from the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north along the east coast to Jervis Bay in the south. The Mourning Cuttlefish is commonly found in shallower water in amongst seagrass beds and sandy bottoms. It can often be found sitting on the bottom with its two arms raised above its head.
As with other cuttlefish species it is excellent at changing its colours to match its surroundings and it can display vibrant electric colours that pulsate along the body. If it feels threatened by a diver it will shoot backwards quickly and often leave a trail of black ink behind. It has been caught by commercial fishers trawling in waters as deep as 80 metres however divers generally observe them in the shallower habitats. Its common name is derived from the appearance of the eyes that are often surrounded by a blue tinge. The Mourning Cuttlefish grows to a maximum size of 15cm.
