The researchers found that a squid can “tune” its iridescence by altering the thickness of these lamellae, which change the wavelength of light reflected by the special proteins in the groove. These grooves create layers within the cell called lamellae. These cells, called iridocytes, aren’t smooth microscopic bubbles they’re filled with deep folds and pleats that extend far into the cell. In January, a trio of scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences investigating one of the special cells in a squid’s skin that create a shimmery color. A squid or octopus can use muscle control to change the shape or size of the pigment-containing sac inside the chromatophore, which changes how the reflective pigment proteins reflect light. In cephalopods, the chromatophore is surrounded by nerve and muscle cells. But the squid or octopus uses its chromatophores in a slightly different way. The secret to a cephalopod’s color-changing abilities, like the chameleon’s, also lies with chromatophores. Certain cuttlefishes, for instance, will turn bright red as a warning to stay away, but they also adopt a zebra-striped pattern to attract a mate. Some use their abilities to blend in the background and hide from predators. So, switching on the cells with red and yellow pigments inside will add up to an orange chameleon.Ĭephalopods - squids, octopuses, cuttlefish, and the like - change their color for a myriad of reasons. “It’s rather like giving the cell a coat of paint.”Īctivating multiple layers of chromatophores allows the reptile to “mix” its skin color like paint. “But when a signal comes in from the nervous system or from the blood stream, the granules or vesicles can discharge, allowing the color to spread out across the cell, and this alters the colour of the cell,” the Naked Scientists podcast explains. The pigments are locked up in tiny sacs called vesicles, so normally their colors don’t show up. Their skin contains layers of special cells called chromatophores, which contain different kinds of pigments in varying colors. Understanding how the animal kingdom changes its stripes (or spots) could eventually lead to a range of synthetic applications, from color-changing clothes to more efficient fiber optics.Ĭontrary to cartoons, the chameleon typically changes color to display his or her mood, not to blend in. Now scientists are unraveling the secrets behind animals’ color-changing properties. But chromatic manipulation isn’t just the purview of little lizards - squids and octopuses do it, too. When you think of a color-shifting animal, your thoughts may immediately fly to the chameleon.
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