How may a cuttlefish adapt to colder climates?

[SquidySpecs]

Cuttlefish are typically tropical shallow-water animals, but I'm wondering how a cuttlefish could adapt if it was forced into a colder deeper environment. I assume the first things to change would be a larger size and slower metabolism but what else could they do? Let me know if you have any interesting theories / speculations!

 

[pkilian]

In addition to slower metabolism their lifespan may be increased by a month or so depending on the species. This can be done in a lab setting to increase longevity of certain species of octopus, sometimes by 3 months or so depending on how cold the water is.

 

[gjbarord]

Years ago, we (National Resource Center for Cephalopods) looked at this question in s couple cuttlefish species. As @pkilian said, their lifespan does increase, at least in lab conditions. It is difficult to know what effect that slower growth may have in the long-term regarding reproductive success... From what I remember of those studies, the cooler water did not produce larger cuttlefish though. For me, their ability to adapt to change in temperature shows how plastic their behavior/physiology is and suggests that they may be able to adapt to environmental changes through time. Of course, their ability to adapt is no match to the nautiloid lineage, haha!

Great questions @SquidySpecs

Greg