Cephalopods, including squid, octopods, and cuttlefishes, change color to communicate (with potential mates or possibly to warn predators) or to camouflage and disguise themselves. They do so using color-changing cells called chromatophores. Movement of muscles surrounding these elastic pigment sacks causes them to expand (revealing more color) or retract (less color). We saw this squid off North Carolina during the Windows to the Deep 2018: Exploration of the Southeast U.S. Continental Margin expedition. Learn more and watch it demonstrate its color changing abilities in the corresponding video.

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