Cuttlefish Cuties: Photos of Color-Changing Cephalopods

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By Stephanie Pappas
published

Can you see me?

Camouflaged giant Australian cuttlefish.

(Image credit: Sarah Zylinski, Duke University)

A giant Australian cuttlefish blends in with its surroundings.

Sandy Cuttlefish

Sepia officianlis, a cuttlefish

(Image credit: Sarah Zylinski, Duke University)

A Sepia offcinalis cuttlefish blends into a sandy background.

Cuttlefish Camo

A cuttlefish camouflage test.

(Image credit: Sarah Zylinski, Duke University)

A cuttlefish takes on a "blocky" camouflage pattern on a background of white circles, both complete and incomplete. When the circle fragments are scrambled, the cuttlefish takes on a camo pattern more fitting for small-scale, sandy type backgrounds.

Disruptive Camouflage

A camouflaged cephalopod.

(Image credit: Sarah Zylinski, Duke University)

A "disruptive" camouflage pattern used by cuttlefish to blend into "chunky" backgrounds.

Pebble Pattern

Camouflage cuttlefish in pebbles.

(Image credit: Sarah Zylinski, Duke University)

A smaller-scale camouflage pattern for blending into smaller pebbles.

Rainbow Tentacles

Giant Australian cuttlefish close-up.

(Image credit: Sarah Zylinski, Duke University)

A close-up on the color-changing cells of a giant Australian cuttlefish.

Colorful Camouflage

Camouflaged giant Australian cuttlefish.

(Image credit: Sarah Zylinski, Duke University)

Cuttlefish are colorblind, but their reflective and color-changing cells can match many backgrounds in their environment.

Being Brown

Giant Australian cuttlefish close-up.

(Image credit: Sarah Zylinski, Duke University)

A giant Australian cuttlefish takes on a brownish hue for camouflage.

Blue Around the Edges

Giant Australian cuttlefish close-up.

(Image credit: Sarah Zylinski, Duke University)

A giant Australian cuttlefish hovers above the seafloor.

Stephanie Pappas
Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.