A composite of several pictures. A whole school at Oudekraal. Both photos Guido Zsilavecz	Bobtails - members of the order Sepiolida The class cephalopoda includes more orders than most people realize: Order Spirulida: spirula. Rarely seen alive, their small spiral shells can be found on our beaches. Order Sepiida: the cuttlefishes. Order Sepiolida: bobtails. Order Idiosepiida: pygmy squids Order Teuthida: squids, from our own chokka to giant squids. Order Vampyromorpha: vampire squids Order Octopoda: octopus The bobtails are small, rounded little squids. They can be found in tropical and temperate waters all over the world. Many are bottom-dwelling, and like the one found in our waters, bury into the sand. With only eyes sticking out, they are very skittish and will swim away suddenly when approached too closely. Occasionally they form large schools, something which can best be seen at Oudekraal, between Sandy Cove and Geldkis. On a dirty day where debris is lifted from the bottom they often blend in so well that one only notices them when looking carefully. Even on a clear day the swaying bunch of dots are hard to focus on. As with octopus and cuttlefish, they use ink for defensive purposes, but instead of blowing a large cloud and hiding in it they let off small, body sized, puffs as they swim away at a great pace. Due to the ink cloud being the same size one is easily fooled, and we have found that the technique works remarkably well, having lost many during photographic pursuits. After letting of a few puffs they often settle on the sand, and with a quick forward-backward motion, cover themselves. Bobtails can change colour, as most cephalopods can. Each "pixel" of pigment is rather large, and on good macro shots they are clearly visible. Colour ranges from translucent white to yellows, browns and greens. Bobtails are best photographed at night, when they are a touch less skittish and can be followed with more ease, as they are not quite as aware of you as during the day. Even so, their erratic movements make it a very, very hard photographic subject!
References: Cephalopods, A world Guide. Mark Norman, 2000.
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