Flickr photo of the week: reef cuttlefish

By AG Staff December 20, 2010
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The latest Australian Geographic Flickr group photo of the week.

Congratulations to this week’s AG Flickr group member Carl Chapman, for his aquatic image, Reef Cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus) and Acropora cerealis coral, taken on the Great Barrier Reef.

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“The photo was taken on Agincourt Reef, on the Great Barrier Reef while I was diving out of Port Douglas,” says photographer Carl Chapman. “It was shot on 1 December 2010, when everything on the reef was laying eggs or spawning. There were a higher than usual number of cuttlefish around the reef at this time, and they could be seen in groups swimming up to coral heads and laying their eggs amongst the coral branches using their tentacles. Cuttlefish are interesting to watch as they change their color to match their environment (which often tricks the camera focus). This image caught my eye, as the coral seemed to balanced the cuttlefish. More about this image and others can be seen in my blog post.”

Carl is an emerging underwater, nature, technology and travel photographer based in Port Douglas. With the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest at my doorstep, he dives almost weekly with his camera and he “enjoys the rich vibrant colours of the tropical north,” he says.

You can see more of Carl’s images at www.carlchapman.com.

Here is a video Carl captured of the cuttlefish

This pic appeared in the Australian Geographic Flickr group. Share your own photography and it could be featured on Australian Geographic online!

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