How do the animals camouflage based on color if they can't see it? Cephalopods, especially cuttlefish and octopuses, instantaneously change the patterns and texture of their skin to blend with. The eyes of cephalopods like octopus, squid, and cuttlefish possess only one kind of photoreceptor, implying that they are colorblind, being able to see only in greyscale. Stubbs has been fascinated by the color blind/camouflage paradox since he read about it in high school, and during diving excursions to Indonesia and elsewhere experienced firsthand how colorful cuttlefish, squid and octopus.
Scientists have found that octopuses see color not by using visual pigments in their eye but through the technique of chromatic aberration. Are octopuses completely colorblind, or do they have some ability to perceive color? Octopuses, and cephalopods in general, are fascinating creatures that possess some remarkable abilities. One of the questions that has long puzzled scientists is whether octopuses are completely colorblind or if they have some ability to perceive color.
Recent research has shed some light on this intriguing. However, octopus and other cephalopods-with the possible exception of some mesopelagic squids [6, 7, 8, 9]-have only one type of visual pigment, and behavioural experiments have demonstrated that octopus and cuttlefish are colour blind [10, 11]. Researchers have just confirmed that while cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish and squid) are experts at camouflaging themselves, they're completely colorblind.
Professor Justin Marshall and Dr Wen. The Mechanics of Octopus Vision The octopus eye shares structural similarities with the human eye, featuring a lens, iris, and retina, functioning much like a camera. Unlike human eyes, octopus eyes lack a blind spot because nerve fibers route behind the retina.
This arrangement provides them with a continuous visual field. Can an octopus see images? Octopuses, squid and other cephalopods are colorblind - their eyes see only black and white - but their weirdly shaped pupils may allow them to detect color and mimic the colors of their background, according to a father/son team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University. Cephalopods-octopuses, cuttlefish, and squids-are masters of camouflage, altering their skin color and texture to blend into their surroundings.
And some cephalopods use bright colors as mating displays. But based on what scientists know about cephalopods' eyes, they should be color-blind. So why use color to attract mates? And how can they mimic colors with such incredible accuracy.