{"id":533552,"date":"2023-03-07T23:24:32","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T05:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/how-squid-change-color-the-fascinating-science-behind-their-ability-to-change-colors\/"},"modified":"2023-03-22T16:33:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T22:33:55","slug":"how-squid-change-color-the-fascinating-science-behind-their-ability-to-change-colors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/how-squid-change-color-the-fascinating-science-behind-their-ability-to-change-colors\/","title":{"rendered":"How squid change color: the fascinating science behind their ability to change colors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Squids are fascinating creatures that inhabit the world&#8217;s oceans and can measure more than 4m in length.  <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-reddit wp-block-embed-reddit\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"reddit-embed-bq\" style=\"height:500px\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/Coolsointeresting\/comments\/ur527f\/this_incredible_colorchanging_deep_sea_squid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">This incredible color-changing deep sea squid<\/a><br> by<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/user\/LokiBonk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">u\/LokiBonk<\/a> in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/Coolsointeresting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Coolsointeresting<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/embed.reddit.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this video they captured a unique ability of these aquatic animals: color change. The video shows a person lifting a dark black squid out of a water tank, and as he pulls it out, the <a href=\"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/criaturas-muy-reales-que-parecen-tener-un-trozo-de-adn-extraterrestre-dags\/\">creature <\/a><strong>becomes almost completely transparent<\/strong>. When the squid returns to the tank, it returns to its original deep black color.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Masters of camouflage<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cephalopods including octopuses, squid and cuttlefish have the ability to rapidly change color and pattern in their skin, which allows them to camouflage themselves and communicate with other animals. To achieve this, they have complex multicellular organs that allow them to rapidly change color and produce a wide variety of bright patterns and hues.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each chromatophore unit in the skin of these animals is composed of a single chromatophore cell and multiple muscle, nerve, glial and sheath cells. Inside the chromatophore cell, the pigment granules are enclosed in an elastic sac called a cytoelastic saccule, which expands or contracts depending on the nerve signal it receives. In this way, cephalopods can change color in a matter of seconds to camouflage themselves or communicate with other animals.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/digitalcerebro\/status\/1633341396726816773?s=20\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/digitalcerebro\/status\/1633341396726816773?s=20<\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This ability is achieved by the layers of <strong>stacked cells in their skin, such as chromatophores, iridophores and leucophores<\/strong>. The combination of these cells operating together allows cephalopods to produce a wide variety of colors and patterns. In addition, some octopuses can also change the texture of their skin to mimic the appearance of rocks and other marine objects to protect themselves from predators.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Mesmerizing Color Changing Squid with Chromatophores Firing in Metachrosis\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QQQxGXgumLc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To change color, a cephalopod distorts the sacculus through muscle contraction, changing its translucency, reflectivity or opacity.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How can it become almost transparent?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some cephalopods have the ability to become completely transparent, allowing them to hide from predators and stalk their prey unseen.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Transparency in cephalopods is achieved by a combination of factors. First, their skin contains special cells called leukophores, which contain microscopic crystals that reflect light instead of absorbing it. This allows light to pass through the skin of the cephalopods, making them transparent.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, some cephalopods, such as the<a href=\"https:\/\/es.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cranchiidae\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/es.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cranchiidae\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> glass squid<\/a> and the glass cuttlefish, have a particularly transparent skin due to the lack of pigmentation in their cells. In these animals, light simply passes through the skin without being scattered by pigments.<\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;As for what triggered the behavior, the animal was stressed by being taken out of the water, most likely it was a fear response. They communicate with colors and patterns and can alter their colors and patterns in selected areas.&#8221;<\/p>\n<cite>Charles Delbeek (Curator of the Steinhart Aquarium)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In general, transparency in cephalopods is an important evolutionary adaptation that allows them to survive in their marine environment. Thanks to this ability, cephalopods can move stealthily and avoid predators, giving them an important advantage in the struggle for survival in the ocean.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SOURCE <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snopes.com\/news\/2022\/05\/18\/color-changing-deep-sea-squid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Squids are fascinating creatures that inhabit the world&#8217;s oceans and can measure more than 4m in length. In this video [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":531675,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"two_page_speed":[],"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[107252,107085,107206],"tags":[107226,107348,107351,107087,107229,107185,107345,107354],"class_list":["post-533552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medicine-en","category-science","category-wildlife-en","tag-biology","tag-black","tag-color-change","tag-nature","tag-research","tag-science","tag-squid","tag-transparent"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdR79Q-2eNG","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":535641,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/video-shows-elusive-alien-looking-squid-swimming-in-the-atlantic-ocean-eacr\/","url_meta":{"origin":533552,"position":0},"title":"Video shows elusive &#8216;alien-looking&#8217; squid swimming in the Atlantic Ocean","author":"Andrey Robles","date":"April 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Scanning the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, scientists searched for a type of deep-sea hydrothermal vent. Instead, they spotted a rarely seen squid swimming along. Video footage shows the mesmerizing creature. Schmidt Ocean Institute, a California-based research group, was exploring the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with a remotely operated underwater vehicle on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Exploring the world&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Exploring the world","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/category\/lifestyle\/exploring-the-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/calamar_extraterrestre_jhg-bicubic.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/calamar_extraterrestre_jhg-bicubic.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/calamar_extraterrestre_jhg-bicubic.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/calamar_extraterrestre_jhg-bicubic.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/calamar_extraterrestre_jhg-bicubic.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":586842,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/footage-prehistoric-sea-creature\/","url_meta":{"origin":533552,"position":1},"title":"Users Stunned by Footage of a Prehistoric Sea Creature Straight Out of a Sci-Fi Movie","author":"Erick Sumoza","date":"January 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"UA recent video captured by the marine research organization OceanX has shocked the world by revealing images of a six-gilled prehistoric creature in its natural habitat. This shark, which predates the dinosaurs, looks like something out of a science fiction movie, and its appearance has sparked both awe and unease.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ciencia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ciencia","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/category\/news-en\/ciencia-noticias-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Usuarios at\u00f3nitos con las im\u00e1genes de una criatura prehist\u00f3rica marina que parece sacada de una pel\u00edcula de ciencia ficci\u00f3n","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-3.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":595816,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/cats-could-most-perfect-creatures-that-exist\/","url_meta":{"origin":533552,"position":2},"title":"Cats could be the most perfect creatures that exist","author":"Erick Sumoza","date":"October 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"From small domestic kittens to majestic big cats, felines are astonishing examples of evolutionary adaptation. 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A recording of an orca named Wikie attempting to reproduce human-like sounds, such as \u201chello\u201d and \u201cgoodbye,\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/category\/news-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Espeluznante grabaci\u00f3n de orcas imitando el habla humano causa terror","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-29.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-29.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-29.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-29.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-29.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":545325,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/the-best-medical-photograph-in-history\/","url_meta":{"origin":533552,"position":5},"title":"The Best Medical Photograph in History","author":"Erick Sumoza","date":"September 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The photograph that emerged as the winner of the 2012 edition of the Wellcome Image Awards offers a fascinating glimpse inside the human brain, with prominently featured blood vessels dyed in a striking red and sizable purple veins meandering across its surface. This unique representation of the human brain managed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Best Medical Photography in History","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/the-best-medical-photography-in-history-portada.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/the-best-medical-photography-in-history-portada.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/the-best-medical-photography-in-history-portada.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/the-best-medical-photography-in-history-portada.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/the-best-medical-photography-in-history-portada.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/calamar-cambio-de-color.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533552"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":533557,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533552\/revisions\/533557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/531675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=533552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=533552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}