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Day 32: Cuttlefish


There are about 120 species of cuttlefish. Cuttlefish rely on their incredible camouflaging abilities to avoid predators, changing color almost instantaneously to match their surroundings. It's a pretty neat trick for an animal that's colorblind. Three different layers of cells expand and contract to saturate the visible skin with a different array of colors that can be rearranged on a small enough scale to mimic almost any background. Scientists believe that even though cuttlefish are colorblind, they're able to see polarized light, which allows them to adjust to their surroundings. Also the cuttlefish not only changes color, but it accurately replicates the shape and texture of the nearby coral or seaweed to give the cuttlefish an additional layer of camouflage. By extending and retracting individual papillae, tiny bumps across the cuttlefish's body, the animals can quickly and dramatically change the texture of their skin. Although they typically use their color-changing abilities to blend in to avoid getting eaten, when cuttlefish go on the offensive, they turn their bodies into pulsating light and color shows in an attempt to hypnotize potential prey.


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