Photos: Shape-Shifting Cuttlefish Can Mimic Pictures

Spot the Squid

Photograph courtesy Roger Hanlon, Marine Biological Laboratory

Shown in the wild, a Caribbean reef squid—a cuttlefish cousin—raises its arms straight up, parallel to soft coral branches.

Some shape-shifting cephalopods—squid, octopuses, and cuttlefish—can hold their positions for as long as 40 minutes, Hanlon said. "It's not a temporary thing, when they want to go in there and look like a piece of the swaying soft coral."

In the case of Caribbean reef squid, long dark stripes add to the disguise. "It's a very elegant and sophisticated pattern," said Hanlon, whose research has received funding from the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration. (The Society owns National Geographic News.)

Published June 1, 2011

Cuttlefish Falls in Line

Photographs courtesy Justine Allen, Marine Biological Laboratory

A common cuttlefish lifts its arms upright (left) and at an angle to match stripes in an aquarium.

The use of two-dimensional patterns allowed the researchers to precisely measure how well the arm positions corresponded to the backdrops—and to rule out the possibility that the animals were basing their configurations on touch, according to study co-author Hanlon.

And because the experiments were done in controlled aquariums, the researchers could be sure the cuttlefish weren't reacting to chemical cues.

Reaching about 17 inches (45 centimeters) long, the common cuttlefish changes its color and skin texture to evade predators, including marine mammals, fish, and seabirds.

"They have an enormous variety of predators, some of which have marvelously good visual capabilities," Hanlon said. "That's why the [cuttlefish] camouflage has to be so good."

Published June 1, 2011

Touching Down

Photograph courtesy Roger Hanlon, Marine Biological Laboratory

A wild common cuttlefish in Turkey points its arms into the sand, mirroring algae branches nearby.

Found along shorelines in most parts of the world, but not in the Americas, these cephalopods can assume camouflage positions within seconds of entering a new environment when they sense danger is near.

(Related: "Dolphin 'Chef' Follows Cuttlefish Recipe.")

Published June 1, 2011

Undercover Cuttlefish

Photograph courtesy Roger Hanlon, Marine Biological Laboratory

Nestled amid algae stalks, a wild Australian giant cuttlefish raises its arms to blend in with its surroundings. "It’s very hard to tell that's a cuttlefish," Hanlon said.

The world's largest cuttlefish species, the Australian giant grows to as long as about a yard (a meter).

(Related: "Militaries Study Animals for Cutting-Edge Camouflage.")

Published June 1, 2011

Make Like An Algae

Photograph courtesy Roger Hanlon, Marine Biological Laboratory

Next to a tall piece of algae, a common cuttlefish in the wild attempts to hide by lifting its arms.

The common cuttlefish hunts the oceans for crustaceans and fish and uses ink in its skin to change color rapidly.

Published June 1, 2011

The Squid and the Sea Fan

Photograph courtesy Roger Hanlon, Marine Biological Laboratory

Continuously jetting water out its back end to stay afloat, a wild Caribbean reef squid appears to be an extension of a sea fan.

Up close, the creature catches the eye, but "in the full-frame picture, that animal is very hard to see," Hanlon said.

(Related: "Giant Squid Killed by Sound?")

Published June 1, 2011