國立自然科學博物館

每年在南澳洲的冬天，巨型花枝會群聚在Point Lowly半島長達六公里的海岸線岩石區。 這些“海洋變色龍”是世界上最大的墨魚種類。長度可達六十公分，重量可達五公斤。 驅使這些生物朝這片水域遷徙的唯一目的就是繁衍後代。 
在這幾個月中，公花枝們會不斷為爭奪和母花枝交配的機會而打鬥。 僧多粥少的畫面層出不窮，每一尾母花枝的四周都被許多公花枝給占滿。 
爭奪到交配權的公花枝會用特別的那只觸手遞送精莢到母花枝體內。 而母花枝體內可能有好幾隻公花枝的精莢， 她自己則可以選擇最中意的那個來製造出受精卵。 畢竟，她也是想選看起來精子最強的雄性來繁衍出後代。 母花枝會將卵附著在該地區岩石塊的下方，卵幾個月後就會孵化。 長時間交配過後的下場便是筋疲力竭的死去，或是被別的生物例如：海豚、海豹等吃掉。 人類不知道牠們遷徙了多遠，或者為什麼選擇在這個特定地區， 但是每年牠們在該地區的聚集數量都達到了十萬以上。 那幾個月不斷的求愛，打架，交配和產卵的混戰，讓這片海域因為花枝們的到來而熱鬧不已。

Every year in winter in South Australia, Giant Cuttlefish congregate along the six-kilometre-long rocky coastline of Point Lowly peninsula. These "Marine Chameleons" are the largest cuttlefish in the world. It can be up to 60 cm in length and weigh up to 5 kg. The sole purpose that drives these creatures to migrate to this water is to breed. In these months, the male Giant Cuttlefish will continue to fight for the opportunity to mate with the females. There is an endless display of oversupplying the demand, and each female Cuttlefish is surrounded by many males. The male Cuttlefish who gained the right to mate will use a special tentacle to deliver spermatophore (a capsule containing sperm) to the female. The female may have already received several spermatophores from different males, and she can choose the one she likes best to fertilize the eggs. After all, she also wants to choose the male with the strongest sperms to reproduce. The female Cuttlefish will lay the eggs under the rocks in the area, and the eggs will hatch within a few months. After a long period of mating, the end result for the Cuttlefish is an exhausted death or being eaten by other creatures such as dolphins or seals. Humans don't know how far they have migrated, or why they chose this particular area, but each year more than 100,000 of them gather here. Those months of constant courtship, fighting, mating and spawning make this area full of life thanks to the arrival of the Giant Cuttlefish.

拍攝日期：2019年6月初
 拍攝地點：南澳 Whyalla 相機設備：Sony RX100 Mark1、Dyron SWAL 13外接廣角鏡、Patima水下金屬殼、Sea&Sea YS-D1 水下閃光燈*2 後期製作：使用Lightroom以及Photoshop兩款修圖軟體。 ※水下照片的顏色會因為深度以及光線的變化導致沒有陸地上來的準確，所以必須使用後制軟體來校正白平衡。 難以想像，在地球上竟然有這麼令人驚奇的生物。 長相酷似外星人卻有著接近人類行為以及個性的巨型花枝， 聰明又好奇的牠們在海洋生物裡智商可是相當高的。 從牠們身上的變色狀態還可以一窺他們當下的心情：正在打量或是在害怕，甚至連生氣都可以表現得出來！
 花枝身上的變色細胞可以讓牠們瞬間改變皮膚的質地與顏色，跟周遭環境融為一體，藉以躲避敵人或是狩獵。 拍攝的時候因為正值澳洲的冬天所以水溫非常的冷，泡在19度低溫的海水裡好幾個小時凍到臉以及四肢都麻木。
 不過，因為花枝們在交配期間只會專注在他們該做的事情上面， 讓我得以在下水後的每分每秒都可以好整以暇的觀察以及拍攝這些有趣的物種，在潛水生涯裡是非常難忘且難得的經驗。

Taken in early June 2019, Whyalla, South Australia. The camera and equipment used are: Sony RX100 Mark1, Dyron SWAL 13 external wide-angle lens, Patima underwater metal case, Sea&Sea YS-D1 underwater flash*2. Editing process used Lightroom and Photoshop two editing software. *Due to the change of depth and light, the colour of underwater photos will not be as accurate as on land, so editing software must be used to correct the white balance. It's hard to imagine that there are such amazing creatures on earth. The Giant Cuttlefish, despite their alien-looking appearance, have behaviours and personalities that are similar to human beings. They are clever and curious creatures that possess a very high level of intelligence among marine life. From their colour change, one can also catch a glimpse of their current mood: their observation or fear, or even anger can be expressed! The colour-changing cells on Cuttlefish can make them change the texture and colour of the skin instantly, and blend into the surrounding environment to avoid enemy or prey. The water temperature was very low since the time of shooting was in the winter in Australia. Soaking in the cold water of 19 degrees for several hours was enough to numb my face and limbs. However, because the Giant Cuttlefish were only focused on what they were supposed to do during mating, it allowed me to observe and photograph this interesting species the whole time when I was underwater, which was such a memorable and rare experience in my diving career.