😜Octopuses are masters of disguise!
  / theoctogirl  

🐙Most of us think of the color changing cells (chromatophores) as being responsible for the octopus’s extraordinary camouflage.

However, these chromatophores act in conjunction with reflecting cells and other structures in the skin to produce a final appearance known as a body pattern. Color change is accomplished by these tiny color-filled sacs acting under direct control of the brain.

🧠Visual input of the octopus’s environment travels to the brain, the brain selects a body pattern, and then this information is sent to muscles in the skin that are connected to these tiny color-filled sacs. These muscles will either expand (display color) or retract (minimize color) the chromatophores. Chromatophores are either red, orange, yellow, brown, or black.

🌈To produce other colors, octopuses use reflecting cells known as iridophores, reflector cells, and leucophores that reflect blues, greens, silvers, pinks and white.

Camouflage can also include skin texture and body posture. Octopus’s skin texture is controlled by muscles in the skin that change the skin from smooth to spiky.

The skin can have folds and look hairy, making the octopus look like seaweed. These folds and spikes of skin are known as skin papillae. The octopus can also position the body to look like a rock or swim like a flatfish to TRICK its predators.

It’s always a TREAT watching octopus’ behavior. By working under neuromuscular control, octopuses can change their body pattern in under a second!

#STEM #Animals #Science