Highlights
- A new study reveals how octopuses can change colors and dreams while sleeping
- The study was conducted by Brazilian researchers and has observed the Octopus Insularis and revealed interesting facts
- Octopus has two sleep states like humans, namely quiet sleep and active sleep.
The Octopus is a well-known sea animal unlike the other unexplored flora and fauna in the sea. Scientists have studied the anatomy of the Octopus for years now and it still doesn’t fail to surprise us. The latest revelation is quite an astonishing one too. An Octopus changes color and also dreams while sleeping.
What Causes An Octopus To Change Colors?
The interesting discovery was made in a research paper published by Brazilian researchers. The study explains how octopuses have two sleep states, similar to humans. The other characteristics of octopuses are the ability to squirt, camouflage, and death after mating.
Quite a peculiar sea animal is the eight-legged and three-heart octopus. The research also claims that they possess sophisticated behavioral features.
Does An Octopus Change Color To Hide?
Sylvia Medeirosie is the lead author of the study and a doctoral student in neuroscience at the Brain Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. In their study, the researchers observed Octopus Insularis in a laboratory setting. This revealed how the octopus has two sleep states namely ‘quiet sleep’ and ‘active sleep’. The study also explained how during quiet sleep, the octopus remains still with pale skin and eye pupils contracted to a slit.
During their active sleep, the octopus tries to camouflage, where it dynamically changes its skin color and texture. The muscular twitches and changes its color lead to the conclusion that the octopus does change color to hide.
How Fast Can An Octopus Change Colors?
The sleep cycles of octopuses were observed to be very low. While quiet sleep lasted for about seven minutes, active sleep lasted for only one minute or less. The speed of the octopus camouflage is not yet observed or mentioned in the study. However, general sources lead us to believe that an octopus changes color in a minute or so. “If octopuses indeed dream, it is unlikely that they experience complex symbolic plots as we do,” explained Sylvia, the lead author of the study.
Conclusion
The sea World is only becoming curious and curiouser for humans. Now that we know that an octopus changes color and dreams while sleeping, it is intriguing to know what will be discovered next.