Which sea animal can change color and texture?
Quick answer
The octopus is the sea animal most famous for changing both its color and skin texture to blend in, often in less than a second. Its relatives, cuttlefish and squid, can do it too. Special skin cells called chromatophores change color, while small muscles raise bumps called papillae to copy rocks, coral or seaweed.
The skin’s three layers of color
| Layer | Cells | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Chromatophores | Elastic sacs of red, yellow, brown or black pigment; muscles stretch them open or squeeze them shut |
| Middle | Iridophores | Reflect light to make shimmering blues and greens |
| Bottom | Leucophores | Scatter light to make white |
An octopus can have thousands of chromatophores per square centimeter, each controlled directly by nerves. That’s why the change is so fast.
More than just color
Octopuses can raise papillae to make their skin spiky, ridged or smooth. Combined with color, this lets them look like a lumpy rock or a frond of algae. Some also change posture, flattening or curling their arms.
Master mimics
The mimic octopus of Southeast Asia, discovered in 1998, impersonates other animals, including a venomous lionfish, a sea snake and a flatfish, depending on what predator is nearby.
Color-blind but camouflaged
Most octopuses and cuttlefish have only one type of light-sensitive cell in their eyes, so they probably can’t see color the way we do. Scientists are still studying how they match their surroundings so well. Theories include detecting light through the skin itself, which contains light-sensitive proteins.
Other color-changing sea animals
- Cuttlefish: create moving “passing cloud” patterns to hypnotize prey
- Squid: flash patterns to communicate
- Flounder: flatfish that shift their spots to match the seabed
- Seahorses: slowly change color to match surroundings
Octopuses are remarkable in other ways too; see which animal has three hearts.
Still curious?
Jump to a random question from the archive.