The Fascinating Ability of Octopuses to Change Color and Camouflage

Jakarta –

Octopuses are a group of cephalopods or a group of invertebrate marine animals. Octopuses are known as intelligent animals because of their ability to change their body color or camouflage.

The ability of octopuses to change color has sparked many studies. Including being researched by Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher 2,400 years ago.

Moreover, the ability to camouflage this octopus is known to be very fast. Even this speed has baffled researchers.

The use of the word octopus described here refers to the description of general trends in the entire octopus group. This is because not all species are able to change color and some of them have varied camouflage mechanisms.

Why Octopuses Can Change Color Very Quickly

Although there are several other animals that also have camouflage abilities besides octopuses, such as chameleons. However, the ability of the octopus is unique because of its ability to change colors with amazing accuracy and speed.

“It only takes a fraction of a second. I think the fastest change is less than 100 milliseconds (0.1 seconds), which is quicker than the blink of an eye,” said Leila Deravi, a biochemist at Northeastern University in Massachusetts who studies octopus camouflage mechanisms. Live Science.

He added that octopus abilities are obtained because they have a brain that is connected to the surface of the skin.

This causes octopuses to have a very fast signaling mechanism to instruct the color changes in their bodies.

Interestingly, despite having the intelligence to adapt to the color of their skin, most octopuses and other cephalopods are actually color blind.

This was revealed through a review of articles published in 2020, which found that octopuses have only one type of photoreceptor, cells that convert light into nerve signals. That is, octopuses can only detect differences in light.

Additionally, in a study published in 2016, it was hypothesized that octopuses have an additional, unrecognized type of receptor in their eyes. This allows cephalopods to see color in a different way.

How the Octopus Camouflages

Octopuses can change color using chromatophores or tiny color-changing organs scattered all over the octopus’ skin.

At the center of each chromatophore are small pockets containing pigment nanoparticles called xanthomatins.

Xanthommatin will function to absorb certain wavelengths or colors. When absorbing light waves, the pigment pocket will stretch allowing more light to enter and reflect the xanthomatin particles.

This causes the light that is reflected out of the chromatophore to have a different color than the light that first entered it.

Deravi revealed that octopus skin has three layers of chromatophores and each layer has xantommatin particles that reflect different colors.

The top layer reflects yellow, the middle layer reflects red, and the bottom layer reflects brown.

In addition, octopuses also have the ability to combine each of these colors by changing the shape of the chromatophores in each layer. This is done to create a variety of colors.

Octopuses have different numbers of chromatophores, in some species the number can be in the tens of thousands or millions. The difference in numbers is influenced by the size of the species.

The chromatophores are controlled by nerve signals from the brain which cause the muscles surrounding the sacs in the chromatophores to contract or relax to change their shape.

Apart from chromatophores, iridophores and leukophores are also organs that will be involved in the process of changing octopus color. It is known, these two organs are located on the skin of certain octopus species which will help it to increase or change the color it produces.

Structures in octopus skin can help them in camouflage which serves to change the texture that adds another layer.

The skin has little bumps called papillae that can relax which makes the skin smooth or wrinkle which makes the skin lumpy and rough.

The papillae in the octopus are controlled by nerve signals from the brain. However, Deravi revealed that the process of changing textures has a less understanding than changing colors.

The Importance of Camouflage for Octopuses

Currently, the mechanism of octopus camouflage is still not fully understood by scientists. However, scientists now have a better understanding of why octopuses change color.

“Octopuses have no external protection,” says Jennifer Mather, a psychologist at the University of Lethbridge in Canada who is an expert on cephalopod behavior.

This causes, for predators in the ocean, the octopus is seen as an unprotected protein package. That is, practically all creatures in the ocean are trying to eat them.

Therefore, the octopus uses its camouflage ability to protect itself.

“From an evolutionary perspective, octopuses had no choice. Without physical protection, they had to evolve in ways to become invisible,” explains Mather.

In addition to protecting themselves from predators, octopus changes color can be used for hunting.

Octopuses will use a startle display, in which they will confuse their prey with drastic and rapid color changes before eventually trapping their prey.

It turns out that the color change in octopuses also has the same function of communicating between individuals.

Some octopus species will produce solid colored patterns to attract mates or to knock off competitors during the reproductive season.

The ability to camouflage is an innate ability possessed by most octopuses. However, scientists predict that the ability to change color will get much better as octopuses get older.

Watch Video “5 Animals That Have High Intelligence“

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