Octopus eyes are typically yellow or green in color, although some species have blue or brown eyes. The color of an octopus's eye is determined by the pigments in the iris. 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.
A second and less startling idea is that perhaps that seawater's dark green. 13 Facts About Octopus Eyes and Their Vision 1. Octopuses might perceive color in a unique way The vibrant underwater world where octopuses live is a kaleidoscope of colors.
Interestingly, despite being inhabitants of such a colorful environment, octopuses are technically colorblind. The Typical Color of Octopus Eyes Octopus eyes are typically gold, brown, or black, varying by species and lighting. Their pupil is a distinctive horizontal slit in bright light, expanding to a circular shape in dim conditions.
This horizontal orientation of the pupil remains consistent regardless of the octopus's body position, a feat managed by internal balance organs called statocysts. It is utterly impossible to generalize about octopus eyes and their vision. There are the adjustable pinhole eyes of the nautilus, the extreme size difference between the eyes of the cock-eyed squid, and the largest eyes on the earth belong to the giant squid! On top of that, cephalopod pupils come in all different shapes (U-shaped, W-shaped, round, rectangular); the vast majority are.
Our photoreceptor cells are hidden behind the retina! Unique color vision: Despite lacking the specialized color receptors found in human eyes, some octopuses are thought to distinguish between different colors using a combination of chromatic aberration and pupil shape. The exact way octopuses see color is still debated between two possibilities. The shape of their eyes may allow light waves to reach the retina without passing through the lens, allowing them to receive color in the light waves even if they aren't actually seen.
There have also been ospins, a light-sensitive protein found in the retina that carries different photosensitive pigments, found. The colors they can see are likely to be in the blue-green range, as this is the color that triggers the greatest response in their opsin cells. Researchers have conducted experiments to test the color perception of octopuses.
In one such experiment, octopuses were trained to choose between two colored lights, one of which was rewarded with food. Octopus eyes are typically yellow or orange in color. The pigment responsible for this vibrant hue is melanin, the same pigment responsible for eye color in humans.
However, not all octopuses have bright yellow or orange eyes. Some species have more subdued colors, such as yellow-green or even pink, which can vary depending on the specific genus and species.