Cuttlefish Like Jet Engines
Although it is called a "fish", unlike other fish, cuttlefish have no bones in their bodies. You may wonder how these boneless fish move along in water. Indeed, cuttlefish use a quite unusual means of locomotion. The body of a cuttlefish, which is composed of soft tissues, is covered with a thick layer of skin. By means of muscles below this layer, a cuttlefish collects water within its body and moves by squirting this water out.
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The system of the cuttlefish based on squirting water is quite complicated. There is a pocket-like opening on each side of the creature’s head. The water is drawn through these openings into a cylinder-like cavity. Then the cuttlefish jets out this water from a narrow pipe immediately under its head with great pressure. This enables the animal to move swiftly in the opposite direction and flee from predators because it can accelerate very suddenly. You may be wondering what would happen if it cannot move fast enough. In this case the cuttlefish sprays a dark colored liquid produced in its body towards its enemy. This spray of ink confuses the predator for a few seconds, which is enough for the cuttlefish to get away. It flees and disappears in the spray of ink.
As with all other living creatures, this feature of the cuttlefish is the creation of Allah, the Creator of everything. Allah informs us that there is no other god besides Him:
That is Allah, your Lord. Sovereignty is His. There is no god but Him. So what has made you deviate? (Surat az-Zumar: 6)
- Introduction
- Blind Termites Building Skyscrapers
- Security Measures of Animals
- The Compass in the Ant's Eye
- The Marvelous Co-Operation of the Ant and the Bird
- Little Engineering Birds
- The Heating System of the Winter Moth
- How Do Salmon Find Their Way?
- How Do Fish Live in Water?
- How Do Macaws Know Chemistry?
- Engineering in the Cobweb
- An Interesting Creature: The Nautilus
- The Male Catfish on Duty
- Butterflies That Have a Knowledge of Physics
- Did You Know about Luminescent Creatures?
- Luminescent Underwater Creatures
- The Sleeping Bag of the Parrotfish
- The Skillful Camouflage of the Scorpion Fish
- Interesting Features of Sea Horses
- Dragonflies: Flight Machines
- Secret Shelters in the Seas: Corals
- Life in the Desert
- The Special Cooling System of Gazelles
- The Strength of Woodpeckers
- Cute Squirrels with Big Cheeks
- The Bird with the Longest Wings in the World: the Albatross
- Adornment Artists: Bowerbirds
- Birds Which Lay Foundations for Their Young
- The Powerful Memory of Jays
- The Armored Tanks of the Animal Kingdom
- Migratory Birds That can Fly Even in the Dark of the Night
- Cleaning Workers of the Seas
- The Noisy Cicada
- Cleaner Birds
- Pond Skaters That Walk on Water
- Tenacious Suckerfish
- Walking Fish with Red Lips
- Colorful Herons
- Parakeets That can Survive A Month Without Water
- The Structure of Birds' Feathers
- Birds' Techniques for Gliding
- The Water Bird That Cuts Through the Water Like Scissors
- Cuttlefish Like Jet Engines
- Greylag Geese
- A Matchless Security System
- Conclusion