Cephalopods,rays and sharks
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ustralia, an island fortress isolated from other continents for millions of years, is home to some of the most-unique wildlife in the world - kangaroos, koalas, platypus, emus and kookaburras, to name but a few. However, Australia’s unique animals continue underwater, with the island nation home to many wonderful endemic marine species. Many of these marine animals are well-known and iconic, like the leafy seadragon, giant cuttlefish and Port Jackson shark, and attract divers from around the world to see and photograph them. But many more are less wellknown, but no less unique and fascinating, and they are some of the special species we are going to look at in this two-part article. The first part of this article will focus on the wonderful, unique and very diverse collection of sharks, rays, octopus and cuttlefish that divers can see while exploring Down Under.
Unique Aussie cephalopods
Australia is home to the world’s greatest variety of cephalopods, better known as octopus, squid and cuttlefish. Most of the species found in Australian waters are endemic,
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and some of the strangest and most bizarre marine critters a diver can encounter. The bestknown and most iconic of these cephalopods is the giant cuttlefish, with the mass breeding aggregation at Whyalla each year attracting thousands of divers. However, there are many other unusual members of this family well worth looking for.
Southern sand octopus
The seas around Australia are home to dozens of octopus species, but of these the ones found in southern waters are the most unique, as they are found nowhere else. Many of these species look similar, so telling them apart can be difficult, but the southern sand octopus (Octopus kaurna) is one that stands out from the crowd due to its elongated head. As its name suggests, this octopus lives in the sand, hiding from predators by day and emerging at night to feed. Found off Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, this small octopus can obtain an arm span of 50cm, but most are much smaller, typically less than half this size. Night dives under any of the jetties in southern waters, such as Edithburgh Jetty, is the best way to find this unique octopus.
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