After much deliberation (1 day), I decided that I did not want to limit myself to just one particular group of animals to enthusiastically promote to the Raxa Family; instead, from now on I will be sticking my hand in a hat and pulling a name out with whatever insanely awesome or obnoxiously exotic organism I have chosen and posting it.  Truthfully, my love and admiration for certain organisms extends well beyond those of just reptiles and amphibians; so why constrain myself to just those?

Photo Courtesy Diverosa.com

So here we go:  Pfeffer’s Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Metasepia pfefferi (Tropical Indo-Pacific/N Australia/S New Guinea) is my choice for this post.  Truly one of the more bizarre cuttlefish to exist, this tiny specimen (mantle ~3.1 inches) “walks” on the seafloor as it is unable to stay afloat effectively due to its tiny cuttlebone.  Like other cuttlefish, Metasepia pfefferi displays vibrant defensive colors in order to fend off predators, truly a lightshow the likes of which only nature could provide.  Metasepia pfefferi is also only the 3rd known cephalopod to utilize deadly toxins.

Photo Courtesy molluscawesome.wikispaces.com

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