Secrets of The Cuttlefish’s Uncanny Camouflage Abilities Revealed
By George Dvorsky on 18 Feb 2018 at 7:00AM
Octopus, squid, and cuttlefish can change their skin’s colours, patterns, and textures in ways not seen anywhere else in the animal kingdom. You see what looks to be a clump of seaweed, and then it suddenly springs to life in the form of a retreating cephalopod. The changing of skin texture is a particularly impressive skill—one that marine biologists are now a step closer to understanding.
Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) have a unique muscular organ in their skin that, when expressed, exhibits skin bumps called papillae. These protruding, three-dimensional spikes can dramatically alter the shape of the animal, allowing it to imitate the fine texture of surrounding objects, such as the contoured surface of kelp and algae or the jagged outline of coral.
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2018/02/secrets-of-the-cuttlefishs-uncanny-camouflage-abilities-revealed/
