Newest fish at Butterfly House & Aquarium can change colors, shape and recognize faces

If you were going to introduce an exhibit featuring cuttlefish, you’d probably wait until Valentine’s Day weekend too, right?

“These guys are super cool,” CEO Audrey Otto said. “It’s just a unique animal, something different than we’ve ever had. They’re really good at camouflaging and have cool behavior, so we hope it’s an exhibit to slow people down to observe the animals and take it in.”

But while there isn’t much cuddly about the latest attraction at the Butterfly House & Aquarium, there is a lot to love about these little guys.

First, they are little

These are dwarf cuttlefish, also known as stumpy cuttlefish. They grow to between 3 and 4 inches.

When they arrived at the aquarium as babies from an aquarium on the West Coast, they were the size of the fingernail on a pinky finger, said Michelle Coley, curator of animal husbandry.

“The animals are getting used to their space still, and we wanted them to slowly get used to people looking at them,” she said.

The name cuttlefish comes from their cuttle bone, which is something “very unique that makes them different,” she added. “It controls their position in the water, and it’s the only structure in this animal. Otherwise they’re kind of fleshy.”

They’re shape-shifting, color-changing adapters

Cuttlefish are cephalopods, same as octopus and squid, but they have some cool characteristics all their own.

“They have the ability to change shape,” Coley said, adding they can become spiky looking “to blend in with rocks and coral so they are not easily identified.”

And they can change colors or patterns depending on how they’re feeling that day.

“If they’re feeding or breeding or hiding from predators, they can do all these adaptions,” she said.

And if the situation calls for it, they can change colors on just half their body.

“If they’re hiding on one side and trying to signal to another cuttlefish … they can sometimes be two colors, so that’s a neat adaptation.”

Here’s a look at how the cuttlefish typically looks and swims.

Now see how it changes color to camouflage.

They’re super smart

Most cephalopods are smart – an octopus can solve a puzzle – and these guys are no exception.

“They can also figure out puzzles,” Coley said. “It might be we put an object in the tank with food attached, and they have to figure out how to pull the food off.”

And they even can distinguish faces.

“These guys have the ability to recognize the people who feed them, so sometimes we’ll find them at the front of the glass interacting with us,” Coley said.

How to visit

First, congrats to the Butterfly House & Aquarium on winning COVID tourism, at least as far as we’re concerned.

They managed to end January with more visits than last year, while still practicing lots of precautions.

That means if you want to visit on Saturday, you’ll need a reservation. Booking ahead is recommended Sunday through Friday, too.

Masks are required for those 6 and older.

And the touch pools are closed until further notice for the safety of the animals – which makes it an even better time to come in and check out the new cuttlefish.

“We’re seeing people are ready to be out, and we are being very purposeful with enforcing our mask and face-covering policy, and I think that’s helping a lot of families feel comfortable,” Otto said.

Bonus: The Butterfly House is kept at a balmy 85 degrees.

And there’s another new way to visit coming this spring: virtual field trips.

What’s next

The Butterfly House & Aquarium is still moving ahead with a big expansion, though of course the pandemic slowed down the process.

That would broaden the aquarium to multiple galleries, including tide pools with sea stars and sea urchins, coral reefs and moon jellyfish and a kid-sized tunnel-style tank, octopus and stingray touch pool.

“Our goal is to start construction by the end of the year,” Otto said. “We’re still pushing hard to make it happen because we know it’s so important to the community.”

And finally, just for fun

Not everyone is feeling the love at Valentine’s Day. So here’s a cathartic way to express yourself: Name a cockroach after your ex for a donation to the Butterfly House, or do so for a friend. Photo included.