When I think about cephalopods using their ink, I imagine a movie blockbuster with a lot of action and suspense. The hero is cornered, and if they cannot find a way out, then all the world will be doomed. What our hero needs is the perfect diversion—something to quickly distract the evil villain so our hero can escape in the nick of time.
Thankfully, our cephalopod heroes—the octopus, cuttlefish and squid—have the perfect diversionary tactic built right into their bodies and they can use it at a moment’s notice. What is this perfect diversion? Their ink!
Cephalopods use their ink to scare or distract predators so they can escape before being seen (or eaten). The ink is ejected from the ink sac within the cephalopod’s body. The ink is made of melanin and mucus. Melanin is also in humans and is responsible for the color of our hair and skin.
Is the ink poisonous? No, it is not….
Read the full article originally published at oceanconservancy.org.