Cephalopods — octopus, squid, and cuttlefish — hide from predators and communicate with other members of their species in a unique way: by altering the color and texture of their skin. Should a predator come along, they quickly survey their environment and select an appropriate disguise; neurons running from the brain then contract and expand pigment-containing sacks in the skin to adjust the skin’s appearance. Researchers studying the oval squid (pictured above) revealed how the brain areas controlling this shape-shifting ability are organized.
Alexis Wnuk
Alexis is the science writer and editor for BrainFacts.org. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012 with degrees in neuroscience and English.
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Liu TH, Chiao CC. Mosaic Organization of Body Pattern Control in the Optic Lobe of Squids. The Journal of Neuroscience. 37 (4), 768-780 (2017).
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