Visual Stimuli for the Induction of Hunting Behavior in Cuttlefish Sepia pharaonis

Abstract

Cuttlefish exhibit typical hunting behavior, including elongating tentacles against specific prey such as prawn and mysid shrimp. Cuttlefish hunting behavior involves three different actions: attention, positioning, and seizure. Hunting behavior is innate and stereotypic behavior, and it is present in newly hatched juveniles. Factors associated with prey are known to induce this behavior, similar to the sign stimulus, whereby young herring chicks imitate pecking behavior against a red dot on their parent's bill. Although the hunting behavior of cuttlefish has been described and used as an indicator to test learning and memory, details of a stimulus that can elicit this behavior remain unknown. Here, we used a variety of visual stimuli presented on a computer screen to investigate the factors that induce hunting behavior of pharaoh cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis. We found that the appearance of prey (western king prawn, Melicertus latisulcatus) and their movement at a vertical angle of 45° are specific factors that can initiate hunting behavior. We also showed that the height of prey can attract cuttlefish and initiate hunting. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a stimulus that elicits stereotyped hunting behavior by coleoid cephalopods.

Potential Plasticity of Artificial Feed Preference in Juvenile Pharaoh Cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) Through Progressive Training Programs

“…Cephalopods have complex brains and central nervous systems that provide them with excellent learning and memorization abilities (Cole and Adamo, 2005;Correia et al, 2005;Cartron et al, 2013;Yang and Chiao, 2016;Zepeda et al, 2017;Shinzato et al, 2018;Yasumuro and Ikeda, 2018). As a member of the cephalopod family, the pharaoh cuttlefish has been proven to have number sense and excellent learning ability (Yang and Chiao, 2016;Yasumuro and Ikeda, 2018;Huang et al, 2019).…”

“…Lee et al (1991) used various artificial baits as feed for cultured S. officinalis and reported that artificial pellets had the longest latency-to-grab time, whereas rod-shaped artificial feed (e.g., hot dog-shaped feed) exhibited a shorter latency-to-grab time. Castro et al (1993) and Shinzato et al (2018) reported that cuttlefish were more attracted to shrimp-shaped bait. Thus, artificial feed should be shaped like a rod or a flat rod.…”

Evidence of learning and memory in the juvenile dwarf cuttlefish Sepia bandensis

“…Cues from the prey tube may inhibit striking but could be insufficient to reduce the overall interest in the prey. This is because prey presence is a strong visual stimulus for initiating attention and positioning phases in cuttlefish (Shinzato et al, 2018).The ability to perceive the tube as an obstacle to successful prey capture could explain why cuttlefish stop striking, but otherwise remain attentive towards prey, and quickly capture free prey after the procedure. More work is necessary to understand the multisensory inputs related to IP learning, as well the dynamics of the predatory response phases during the procedure.…”

“…Automated tracking systems are valuable for studying predatory behavior in cuttlefish, because the behavior can be divided into three observable phases, which involves orientation and movement of the cuttlefish. The three phases of cuttlefish predatory behavior are attention, positioning, and, finally, the strike (Shinzato et al, 2018;Wells, 1958). The attention phase is visually prompted and begins when the cuttlefish orients its body towards the prey (Shinzato et al, 2018;Wells, 1958).…”

“…The three phases of cuttlefish predatory behavior are attention, positioning, and, finally, the strike (Shinzato et al, 2018;Wells, 1958). The attention phase is visually prompted and begins when the cuttlefish orients its body towards the prey (Shinzato et al, 2018;Wells, 1958). During positioning, the cuttlefish moves towards or away from the prey until it is within striking distance, while the tentacles begin emerging to prepare for the strike (Wells, 1958).…”