camouflage

The glossy shell of some beetles, it has long been speculated, helps hide the insects from predators. A recent paper put the hypothesis to the test—and found it wanting.

In an unusual evolutionary twist, local stick spiders have come up with an almost identical repertoire of color morphs in multiple locations.

As it matures, this chromatophore-clad pyjama squid (Sepioloidea lineolata) hatchling will learn to use the color-changing cells that adorn its body to alter its appearance.

With brown splotches artfully strewn against its bright yellow coloring, the striking imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) appears more leaf than Lepidoptera.

A round-up of recent discoveries in behavior research

Squid, cuttlefish, and octopuses possess vision machinery in their skin.

Scientists develop tape coated with cephalopod proteins to reflect infrared light.

A round-up of recent discoveries in behavior research

Researchers show that patterned coloration can be an effective means of distracting predators from vital body parts.

Polymer changes color and texture in response to remote signals. 

Cephalopod skin inspires engineers to design sheets of adaptive camouflage sensors.