Cuttlefish Brawl | Hakai Magazine

Two male cuttlefish, spurting ink, fight over a female (bottom left). Credit: Justine Allen and Derya Akkaynak

Cuttlefish mating is not for weaklings! -- as shown in this action-packed (and factual) comic strip by Shanna Baker and Mark Garrison of Hakai Magazine. Baker was a fellow in the MBL's Logan Science Journalism Program last year when she became inspired by cuttlefish research by MBL Senior Scientist Roger Hanlon and his colleague Alex Schnell, now at University of Caen, France. "The story is complex and the artwork is extensive and amazing, " Hanlon says.

Text by Shanna Baker
Art by Mark Garrison

Bif! Blam! Whack! Boom! When giant Australian cuttlefish convene to mate, males usually rely on visual displays to intimidate one another—but sometimes, things can get rough.