Dr Christelle Jozet-Alves - Visual cognition in the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis

Modern cephalopods (octopuses, squids and cuttlefish) are considered as fast animals moving in complex environments, actively predating and avoiding predators. They possess large brains and well-developed sense organs as adaptations for their "high performance” life style. Eyes are one of the most conspicuous features of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis. Their vision is highly sensitive to brightness contrast and light polarization, although there is no evidence that cuttlefish see colors. It has recently been shown that cuttlefish primarily use their left visual field when looking for a shelter, for visual scanning, and also for camouflage. Indeed, cuttlefish need to carefully assess a range of background variables when deciding what camouflage to display, and the information perceived in their left visual field seem to be prioritized. Studying perceptual asymmetries appears very useful as part of a cognitive approach to study how animals process information: cuttlefish may have a left hemi-brain dominance for rather negatively connoted information, and a right hemi-brain dominance for positively connoted information. The visual system of cuttlefish also plays a vital role in making decisions during orientation and navigation in the field, as shown by recent studies on the discrimination of visual cues or the plane of polarization of light to orient in a 2D or 3D environment. Their ability to locate different cues in their environment even allow cuttlefish to keep track of what they have eaten, and where and how long ago they ate, in order to match their foraging behavior with the time of replenishing of different foods.