Explore the captivating world of octopus color, understanding their inherent shades and the sophisticated science behind their incredible, rapid changes. A notable capability is mimicry, where certain octopus species imitate dangerous marine animals. The mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) can contort its body and change its coloration to impersonate venomous creatures like lionfish, sea snakes, or flatfish.
This imitation extends to body posture and movement, enhancing the deception. The Mimic Octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) has a unique way of camouflaging. Rather than blending in with the seafloor, it changes its skin color and how it moves its tentacles to take on the shape of other sea creatures.
What makes an octopus change color? Octopuses can shift hues because they have chromatophores - tiny, color-changing organs that are dotted throughout an octopus's skin. The octopus's ability to disappear in a flash is more than a quirky ocean fact-it's a reminder of nature's ingenuity and the delicate balance of life beneath the waves. Each instant color change is a story of survival, intelligence, and adaptation, written on living skin.
Octopuses and other cephalopods make the fastest transformations in the animal kingdom. Here, a giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dolfeini) changes its color and shape to blend in with red. Ever wish you could change shape and color the way the Cyanea octopus can? Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world's premium.
How Fast Can an Octopus Change Color? Octopuses are some of the fastest color-changers on Earth. They can shift their color and patterns in fractions of a second - faster than a human eye can blink. Some species complete a full-color change in as little as 200 milliseconds (about one-fifth of a second), while most do it at around 700.
This texture change allows them to imitate textured objects like rocky outcrops or coral, enhancing their camouflage. By combining color and texture adjustments, an octopus can disappear into almost any background. Octopuses also generate moving patterns across their bodies, such as pulsating stripes, flickering spots, or checkerboard designs.
The big blue octopus can consciously change its texture, color, and pattern. It's one of the best chameleons in the octopus world, and one researcher even reported seeing it alter its appearance 1,000 times over the course of 7 hours!