Dynamic Skin Patterns in Cephalopods

Martin J How,Mark D Norman,Wen-Sung Chung,N Justin Marshall,Julian Finn

doi:10.3389/fphys.2017.00393

Martin J How, Mark D Norman + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.00393

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Abstract

Cephalopods are unrivaled in the natural world in their ability to alter their visual appearance. These mollusks have evolved a complex system of dermal units under neural, hormonal, and muscular control to produce an astonishing variety of body patterns. With parallels to the pixels on a television screen, cephalopod chromatophores can be coordinated to produce dramatic, dynamic, and rhythmic displays, defined collectively here as “dynamic patterns.” This study examines the nature, context, and potential functions of dynamic patterns across diverse cephalopod taxa. Examples are presented for 21 species, including 11 previously unreported in the scientific literature. These range from simple flashing or flickering patterns, to highly complex passing wave patterns involving multiple skin fields.

Highlights

Cephalopods are well-known masters of camouflage, but are unsurpassed in their ability to alter their visual appearance for communication
Video documentation and externally sourced footage of 21 cephalopod species, we recognize five categories of dynamic skin patterns, with certain species being capable of displaying more than one category: (1) flashing; (2) flickering; (3) chromatic pulses; (4) rhythmic passing waves; and (5) multi-directional passing waves
Cephalopod species known to produce these categories of pattern are treated individually below

Summary

Introduction

Cephalopods are well-known masters of camouflage, but are unsurpassed in their ability to alter their visual appearance for communication. Amongst benthic octopuses (family Octopodidae) and cuttlefishes (family Sepiidae), this variable sculpture can include flaps, ridges, and/or simple to multiple branching papillae (e.g., Figure 1a) This unique dermal architecture enables many cephalopods to switch between matching the tone and texture of various backgrounds (Figure 1a), through to performing conspicuous signaling displays for intra- and inter-specific communication (Figure 1b). This is impressive considering that the vast majority of cephalopod species are color blind, possessing only a single visual pigment and failing to demonstrate color vision in behavioral tests (Hanlon and Messenger, 1996; Marshall and Messenger, 1996). It is distinct from “dynamic mimicry,” a term coined for the mimic octopus, Thaumoctopus mimicus, where an individual can fluidly morph between multiple aposematic models (Norman et al, 2001)

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