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Updated: Mar 28, 2026

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes

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Published on: September 4, 2016

Biphasic tentacle strike kinematics in predatory cuttlefish.

M W Young¹, M Kacir¹, A Huang¹

¹Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.

The Journal of Experimental Biology

|March 27, 2026

Summary

Cuttlefish use a two-phase tentacle strike for hunting. This involves a slow reach followed by a rapid attack, optimizing prey capture with stealth and speed.

Keywords:

Biomechanics Control theory Hydrostatic Predation Prey capture

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Inducing Complete Polyp Regeneration from the Aboral Physa of the Starlet Sea Anemone Nematostella vectensis

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Published on: January 14, 2017

Area of Science:

Marine Biology
Animal Behavior
Biomechanics

Background:

Cuttlefish are cephalopods known for their predatory abilities.
Understanding their hunting mechanisms is key to invertebrate locomotion research.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the kinematics of tentacle prey capture in cuttlefish.
To characterize the distinct phases of tentacle extension during hunting.

Main Methods:

High-speed imaging was used to record tentacle prey capture in two cuttlefish species.
Kinematic analysis was performed on the recorded extension phases.

Main Results:

Cuttlefish exhibit a biphasic tentacle extension: a prolonged, variable reach phase and a rapid, less variable attack phase.
Reach phase duration is significantly longer and more variable than attack phase duration.
Attack phase speed is consistent, with duration dictated by prey distance.

Conclusions:

The biphasic strike allows for stealthy tracking (reach phase) followed by a swift, potentially open-loop controlled attack.
Cuttlefish tentacle strikes are comparable in speed and distance to vertebrate ballistic tongues, highlighting convergent evolution in predatory mechanisms.