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Cephalopod ink is a dark-coloured or luminous ink released into water by most species of cephalopod, usually as an escape mechanism. All cephalopods, with the exception of the Nautilidae and the Cirrina (deep-sea octopuses),Hanlon, Roger T. and Messenger, John B. (1999) Cephalopod Behaviour, p. 2. Cambridge University Press. are able to release ink to confuse Predator.
The ink is released from the (located between the ) and is dispersed more widely when its release is accompanied by a jet of water from the siphon. Its dark colour is caused by its main constituent, melanin. Each species of cephalopod produces slightly differently coloured inks; generally, octopuses produce black ink, squid ink is blue-black, and cuttlefish ink is a shade of brown.
A number of other aquatic molluscs have similar responses to attack, including the gastropod clade known as .
Heteroteuthis dispar is a cephalopod species known for releasing luminous ink. The light comes from a substance produced by a dedicated organ before being transferred into the ink sac.
The second response to a predator is to release pseudomorphs ("false bodies"), smaller clouds of ink with a greater mucus content, which allows them to hold their shape for longer. These are expelled slightly away from the cephalopod in question, which will often release several pseudomorphs and change colour () in conjunction with these releases. The pseudomorphs are roughly the same volume as and look similar to the cephalopod that released them, and many predators have been observed attacking them mistakenly, allowing the cephalopod to escape (this behaviour is often referred to as the "blanch-ink-jet manoeuvre").
Furthermore, green turtle ( Chelonia mydas) hatchlings that have been observed mistakenly attacking pseudomorphs released by Octopus bocki have subsequently ignored Conspecificity octopuses.
Numerous cuttlefish species add a coat of ink to their eggs, presumably to camouflage them from potential predators. (2025). 9789251053836, Food and Agriculture Organization. ISBN 9789251053836
Modern use of cephalopod ink is generally limited to cooking, primarily in Japanese cuisine and the Mediterranean, where it is used as a food colouring and flavouring, for example in pasta and sauces, and calamares en su tinta. For this purpose, it is generally obtainable from , gourmet food suppliers, and is widely available in markets in Japan, (2025). 9784431670179, Springer. ISBN 9784431670179 Italy and Spain. The ink is extracted from the ink sacs during preparation of the dead cephalopod, usually cuttlefish, and therefore contains no mucus. While it is not commonly used in China, cephalopod ink is sometimes used to dye the dough of .
Studies have shown that cephalopod ink is toxic to some cells, including Tumor. It is being researched in mice for its antitumor activity against Meth-A fibrosarcoma. It currently remains unclear however if any of the antitumor activity of squid ink can be obtained from oral consumption, and this is indicated as an area for future investigation.
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