The passive elastic properties of the mantle of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis have been characterized in experiments on intact mantle and on pieces cut from the mantle. The mantle was found to be very compliant over a wide range of circumferential strains, corresponding to a change in mantle circumferential strain of 0.45. Beyond this range of strain, the mantle was much stiffer, in both the circumferential direction, 0.542+/−0.025 MPa (mean +/− s.e.m., N=51) and through the thickness of the mantle wall, 0.152+/−0.041 MPa (N=11). Almost 80 % of the work done on the tissue during compression in the circumferential direction was recovered during elastic recoil of the tissue; this elastic work could contribute to refilling the mantle after a jet. Our estimates of the work done during a cycle of jetting and refilling show that such elastic work is small (approximately 1 %) compared with the contractile work done by the circular muscle fibres. However, although the elastic work is almost negligible in the overall energy budget, it is probably sufficient to power refilling of the mantle.

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