Cuttlebone

Cuttlebone from Sepia sp.

Cuttlebone of Sepia officinalis

Cuttlebone, also known as cuttlefish bone, is a hard, brittle internal structure found in all members of the family Sepiidae, commonly known as cuttlefish.

Cuttlebone is composed primarily of aragonite. It is a chambered, gas-filled shell used for buoyancy control; its siphuncle is highly modified and is on the ventral side of the shell.^[1] The microscopic structure of cuttlebone consists of narrow layers connected by numerous upright pillars.

Depending on the species, cuttlebones implode at a depth of 200 to 600 metres (660 to 2,000 ft). Because of this limitation, most species of cuttlefish live on the seafloor in shallow water, usually on the continental shelf.^[2]

Human uses

In the past, cuttlebones were used in making polishing powder. The powder was added to toothpaste, and used as an antacid or as an absorbent.

Today, cuttlebones are commonly used as calcium-rich dietary supplements for caged birds, chinchillas, hermit crabs, and reptiles.^[3]

Jewelry making

Because cuttlebone is able to withstand high temperatures and is easily carved, it serves as mold-making material for small metal casting for the creation of jewelry and small sculptural objects.

Jewelers prepare cuttlebone for use as a mold by cutting it in half and rubbing the two sides together until they fit flush against one another. Then the casting can be done by carving a design into the cuttlebone, adding the necessary sprue, melting the metal in a separate pouring crucible, and pouring the molten metal into the mold through the sprue. Finally, the sprue is sawed off and the finished piece is polished.^[4]

3D visualisation of a Sepia cuttlebone by industrial micro computed tomography

• 

  3D view of part of a cuttlebone at low resolution.

• 

  Overview of a part at high resolution, about 5 µm/voxel.

• 

  Higher magnification.

• 

  Detailed view at very high magnification. Wall thickness of the vertical structures is about 10 µm.

Flight through the corresponding tomographic image stacks

• Flight through the corresonding µCT image stack, section direction about 30°, lateral view.

• Flight through the corresonding µCT image stack, section direction about 30°, top view.

• Flight through the aligned image stack, lateral view.

• Flight through the aligned image stack, top view.

• Flight through the aligned image stack, top view, magnified section.

References

1. ^ Rexfort, A.; Mutterlose, J. (2006). "Stable isotope records from Sepia officinalis—a key to understanding the ecology of belemnites?". Earth and Planetary Science Letters 247 (3–4): 212–212. Bibcode 2006E&PSL.247..212R. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2006.04.025.  edit
2. ^ Norman, M.D. 2000. Cephalopods: A World Guide. ConchBooks.
3. ^ Norman, M.D. & A. Reid 2000. A Guide to Squid, Cuttlefish and Octopuses of Australasia. CSIRO Publishing.
4. ^ Casting Silver with Cuttlefish

• Neige, P. 2003. Combining disparity with diversity to study the biogeographic pattern of Sepiidae.PDF Berliner Paläobiologische Abhandlungen 3: 189–197.

This Cuttlefish article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Cuttlefish Cephalopod zootomy Mollusc products Cuttlefish stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат? James Harbord TV Hokkaido Look at other dictionaries: cuttlebone — [kut′ l bōn΄] n. the internal shell of cuttlefish, used as a food supplement for caged birds or as a polishing agent …   English World dictionary cuttlebone — noun Etymology: Middle English cotul cuttlefish (from Old English cudele) + English bone Date: 1547 the shell of a cuttlefish that is sometimes used for polishing powder or for supplying cage birds with lime and salts …   New Collegiate Dictionary cuttlebone — /kut l bohn /, n. the calcareous internal shell of cuttlefishes, used to make powder for polishing and fed to canaries and other pet birds to supply their diet with lime. [1805 15; CUTTLE(FISH) + BONE] * * * …   Universalium cuttlebone — noun cuttlefish bone …   Wiktionary cuttlebone — cut·tle·bone (kutґəl bōn) sepium …   Medical dictionary cuttlebone — noun the flattened internal skeleton of the cuttlefish, used as a dietary supplement for cage birds and for making casts for precious metal items …   English new terms dictionary cuttlebone — cut•tle•bone [[t]ˈkʌt lˌboʊn[/t]] n. ivt the calcareous internal shell of cuttlefishes, used to make a polishing powder and as a food and beak conditioner for pet birds • Etymology: 1805–15 …   From formal English to slang cuttlebone — /ˈkʌtlboʊn/ (say kutlbohn) noun the calcareous internal shell or plate of true cuttlefishes, used to make powder for polishing, and fed to canaries to supply the necessary lime, etc …   cuttlebone —   Puna …   English-Hawaiian dictionary cuttlebone — ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun Etymology: cuttle (I) + bone : the shell or bone of cuttlefishes used for making polishing powder or for hanging in bird cages to supply lime and salts …   Useful english dictionary 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”