Reproduction
Courtship
Males impress the females with their display of colors using their bioluminescence. Cuttlefish are very aggressive because in these mating communities the males typically outnumber the females 2:1. They fight all the time for her. One would think then that the biggest male wins. But there's a chance for the little guy. While two bigger cuttlefish are fighting the little one who was posed as a female before approaches the female and because she values brain over brawn sometimes, she will choose him.
Cuttlefish are gonochoristic. They reproduce sexually through external fertilization.
Head to head mating: The male and female line up head to head and the male transfers spermatophores by means of the hectocotylus as shown above. The male is able to wash away any sperm from a previous male mating with the female if she hasn't fertilized the eggs yet. The female stores the eggs in a sac/pouch just below her mouth. After the transfer, the female goes to "lay" the eggs and is able to choose which sperm she wants to fertilize her eggs. In other words, she can choose whose sperm she wants if there are more than one source in her pouch.
Males impress the females with their display of colors using their bioluminescence. Cuttlefish are very aggressive because in these mating communities the males typically outnumber the females 2:1. They fight all the time for her. One would think then that the biggest male wins. But there's a chance for the little guy. While two bigger cuttlefish are fighting the little one who was posed as a female before approaches the female and because she values brain over brawn sometimes, she will choose him.
Cuttlefish are gonochoristic. They reproduce sexually through external fertilization.
Head to head mating: The male and female line up head to head and the male transfers spermatophores by means of the hectocotylus as shown above. The male is able to wash away any sperm from a previous male mating with the female if she hasn't fertilized the eggs yet. The female stores the eggs in a sac/pouch just below her mouth. After the transfer, the female goes to "lay" the eggs and is able to choose which sperm she wants to fertilize her eggs. In other words, she can choose whose sperm she wants if there are more than one source in her pouch.
Sources
Arkley K, Jacklin MS, Boulter M, Tower J. 1996. The cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis): a guide to its exploitation in UK waters. The Seafish
Industry Authority. [Internet]. [cited 2013 May 1]; Report number SR467. Available from:
http://www.seafish.org/media/publications/sr467.pdf
Cephalopod [Internet]. c2013. Encyclopedia Britannica: [cited 2013 April 29]. Available from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/103036/cephalopod
Pechenik JA. 2010. Biology of the Invertebrates. 6th ed. New York, NY. The McGraw Hill Companies; 256-293p
http://www.arkive.org/giant-australian-cuttlefish/sepia-apama/image-G70957.html#
http://www.asdk12.org/staff/vanarsdale_mark/pages/mrva/marine/marine_bio_sites/6th/MB_cassie&tabitha_auscuddlefish.html