Baby’s first jets: a kinematic and hydrodynamic analysis of turning in cuttlefish hatchlings

Abstract Turning is an important aspect of life underwater, playing integral roles in predator avoidance, prey capture, and communication. While turning abilities have been explored in a diversity of adult nekton, little is currently known about turning in early ontogeny, especially for cephalopods. In this study, we investigated the turning abilities of hatchling common cuttlefish ( Sepia officinalis , n = 49) and dwarf cuttlefish ( Sepia bandensis , n = 30), using both kinematic and wake-based analyses. Using body tracking software and particle image velocimetry (PIV), we found that S. officinalis turned faster than S. bandensis , but both species completed equally tight turns. Orientation (arms-first or tail-first) did not have a significant effect on turning performance for either species. Cuttlefish hatchlings used multiple short jets for more controlled turning, with jet mode I (isolated vortex rings) being 3–4 times more common than jet mode II (elongated jets with leading ring structures) for both species. While both hatchlings turned more broadly than adult squid and cuttlefish, S. officinalis hatchlings turned faster than adult cuttlefish, and both hatchlings turned more tightly than other jet-propelled animals and some non-jet-propelled swimmers.