4/1/2023 0 Comments Octopus camouflage![]() ![]() Both uniform and mottled camouflage wouldn’t serve the cuttlefish well, because the relative evenness of its coloring would make it stand out. For example, in the right column of pictures, the cuttlefish is over a background of large, multi-colored pebbles. Well, first of all, some backgrounds do have high contrasts and weird shapes, so the best way to blend in would be to use similar high contrasts and weird shapes. After all, isn’t camouflage all about blending in? Wouldn’t the use of high contrast colors and weird shapes make a cephalopod stand out? When you first think about it, this type of camouflage doesn’t seem to make sense. ![]() In the middle column of pictures, the cuttlefish uses splotches of black, white, gray, and beige in order to blend into a background of small pebbles.ĭisruptive camouflage involves the use of high contrast colors to form distracting shapes and patterns. Mottled camouflage involves the use of visible splotches of multiple colors. There may be visible spots of a different color, but they are very tiny. For example, the left column of pictures depicts a cuttlefish that is generally a single color, beige. Uniform camouflage appears as though it were one color. ![]() Credit: Springer Nature/Journal of Comparative Physiology A Cephalopod camouflage can be classified into only three basic patterns: uniform, mottled, and disruptive. However, in the same way that the genie is limited to fulfilling only three wishes, cephalopods effectively limit their use of their “phenomenal cosmic power” to three basic options. They have this incredible power built right into their skins. How do you think cephalopods manage to do this?Ĭephalopods are like the genie from the story of Aladdin. Cephalopods can open and close millions of chromatophores instantly.Can you think of any modifications that you can make to speed things up when you change colors on this chromatophore layer model?.Suddenly, the chromatophore is a visible spot on the skin! And since that single chromatophore is joined by an army of other chromatophores, you get all kinds of color changes-from a solid patch of red, to a mottling of brown and white, to a strange yellow shape on a dark background. When nerve signals stimulate the chromatophore, the radial muscles pull this balloon from all sides, stretching it out, and covering more area of the skin with the pigment. Although it has some color in it, it is so small that it’s difficult to see. ![]() When the radial muscles are relaxed, then the chromatophore is like a shriveled, deflated balloon. There are tiny muscles (called radial muscles) attached to all sides of this balloon. Each chromatophore is like a microscopic balloon filled with pigment. To understand this, we need to take a close look at the structure of a chromatophore. Unlike cephalopods, however, we can’t really change the color of our skin (except maybe by blushing, bruising, getting a tan or a sunburn). We humans have pigment in our skin too, primarily in the form of melanin. In cephalopods, those pigments are limited to the colors yellow, red, and brown. A chromatophore is an organ that contains pigments. (The word chromatophore means “bearer of color”). The first layer is called the chromatophore layer. What colors and shapes do you see in these close-up views of cephalopod skin? What details can you make out? How do you think these tiny changes affect the larger view of the cephalopod? Let’s take a close look to see what’s going on in the skin of a cephalopod: Credit: Josh Cassidy/KQED Credit: Josh Cassidy/KQED Credit: Josh Cassidy/KQED Illustrated by Ariel Zych The Chromatophore Layer In this lesson, we will look at the first layer, the chromatophore layer, in detail. Each layer of cephalopod skin contributes its own little bit of artistry to the overall painting. The chromatophore layer uses spots of pigment to paint patterns the iridophore layer bends and bounces light to display shimmering colors the leucophore layer serves as a reflective background for everything above it. Going from the outside in, we find a chromatophore layer, an iridophore layer, and a leucophore layer. Well, it may not have as many layers as your mind, but it does have at least three distinct layers. Severus Snape once told Harry Potter, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix : “The mind is a complex and many-layered thing.” The same might be said of cephalopod skin. ![]()
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