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Squid continuously adjust their colouration to signal fellow squid or for camouflage, according to a rare study conducted in the animal's natural environment. Credit: Joel Hollander
Hannah Rosen of Stanford University, California, and her colleagues fitted three Humboldt squid (_Dosidicus gigas_) in the Gulf of California with cameras (PICTURED) that recorded their
underwater activity. The authors identified two distinct patterns of colour changing. Whole-body 'flashing' between white and red was seen in the presence of other squid.
'Flickering' involved wave-like patterns that seemed to mimic the reflections of sunlight in the water, and occurred whenever there was natural light and the animal was not
flashing. The team suggests the flashing behaviour is a form of intra-species signalling, while the flickering represents dynamic camouflage. _J. Exp. Biol._ 218, 265–275 (2015) RIGHTS AND
PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Squid change colour on camera. _Nature_ 518, 9 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/518009e Download citation *
Published: 04 February 2015 * Issue Date: 05 February 2015 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/518009e SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this
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