The dorsal and ventral protective membranes are not joined at the base of the club, but fused to the tentacular stalk.

The limbs of the inner cone are very short, narrow, and uniform in width, with the U-shape thickened slightly towards the back.

[4] As a result this particular genus of cuttlefish, both M. pfefferi and sister species M. tullbergi, is the only one known to walk upon the sea floor.

M. pfefferi has been recorded from sand and mud substrate in shallow waters at depths of 3 to 86 m. The species is active during the day and has been observed hunting fish and crustaceans.

Individuals that are disturbed or attacked quickly change colour to a pattern of black, dark brown, white, with yellow patches around the mantle, arms, and eyes.

The arm tips often display bright red coloration to ward off would-be predators.

[5][9] Copulation occurs face-to-face, with the male inserting a packet of sperm into a pouch on the underside of the female's mantle.

[4][5] Freshly laid eggs are white, but slowly turn translucent with time, making the developing cuttlefish clearly visible.

From emergence, hatchling M. pfefferi are capable of producing the same camouflage patterns as adults; they are truly precocial and do not receive any care from their parents.

[4][5] A toxicology report has confirmed that the muscle tissue of flamboyant cuttlefish is highly toxic, making it only the third cephalopod found to be poisonous.

[9][better source needed] However, preliminary results from researchers at Georgia Southern University and Utah State University-Uintah Basin found only trace amounts of tetrodotoxin in the flamboyant cuttlefish.

If its supply were steady, the spectacular colour and textural displays of this species would make it an excellent candidate for private aquariums.