Do cuttlefish (Cephalopoda) signal their intentions to conspecifics during agonistic encounters?

Abstract

Abstract. Male cuttlefish adopt a specific body pattern during agonistic behaviour called the Intense Zebra Display. Some components of the Display were variable, especially the chromatic component termed ‘dark face’, which could vary in the degree of darkness. Facial darkness was measured using a video analysis system. Males that eventually withdrew from conspecifics without fighting maintained a lighter face during the initial stage of agonistic encounters. When both males maintained dark faces, physical contact and fighting ensued. Therefore facial darkness could be used to predict which male–male encounters would escalate to physical contact. The strong correlation between facial darkness and subsequent behaviour suggested that males were signalling their agonistic motivation at the early stages of the encounter, which is contrary to what would be predicted from a traditional game theory analysis. It is proposed that males signal intent because the Intense Zebra Display simultaneously serves two functions: (1) it identifies the signaller as male, thus preventing unwanted copulations from other males, and (2) it functions as part of the agonistic behavioural repertoire. By using a modified (i.e. lighter-faced) version of the Display, males may be able to signal their sex, but without inducing another male to attack. In cases in which agonistic displays perform more than one function, signalling intent (i.e. signalling its likely subsequent behaviour) can be an evolutionarily stable strategy.