Green Blooded Giants

By Brenton Dean & Carly Maple - Abyss Pictures 2008

Cuttlefish DVD - Of all the species that exist on our planet today, the Giant Australian Cuttlefish (Sepia Apama) is perhaps the most alien of all. Possessing three hearts, green blood and eight arms, the cuttlefish has remarkable skin and a uniquely high standard of intelligence.

The cuttlefish comes from the family of cephalopods. The name cephalopod refers to the strange shape of these animals - where all their limbs come directly from their head. Cephalopods, which includes other species such as octopus and squid are the most complex, diverse and fascinating creatures on earth, having existed here for around half a billion years. There are estimated to be over 1,000 species of cephalopods on our planet, which includes over 100 species of cuttlefish.

In Southern Australia, a quarter of a million of these giants migrate to a specific rocky coastline, with one goal in mind; to mate and lay eggs. This is the largest spawning aggregation of these creatures anywhere in the world. The competition between males for a female is high. She is outnumbered 11 to 1 and the males have invented bizarre breeding tactics to ensure that their own genes, will make it through to the next generation of giants.

The large males will battle with spectacular body pulsing colour displays. The smaller males amazingly morph themselves into females and plan sneaky mating attacks. And then after a messy season of tactical tricks and aggressive sex, the cuttlefish will all die. Life is short and death is young. Spring then approaches, and the millions of eggs left under the rocky crevices, begin to hatch.

"Green Blooded Giants" is a 52-minute Natural History film that will surprise and embarrass. The Giant Australian Cuttlefish are the largest of all the cuttlefish species. Alien they may seem, and alien they are. But their story isn't a story at all, if not for the rocky coastline that protects the eggs. If the rocky coastline is not made a permanent sanctuary, the invasion of the green-blooded giants will cease to exist.

DVD - PAL format - 52 minutes - 16:9 SDTV

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