Sandrine Ceurstemont, editor, New Scientist TV
Cuttlefish could have more in common with humans than you think: they may see the world in a similar way. Biologist Sarah Zylinski, from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues found that when they see a partially obscured shape, they fill in the missing information much like humans do. Apart from insects, it's the first time this behaviour has been demonstrated in an invertebrate.
To investigate cuttlefish perception, the researchers probed their camouflage patterns, which act like a live video feed of what they see. In response to changing stimuli, different clumps of pigment sacks in their skin are activated to mimic their environment.
In this video, a cuttlefish mimics a checkerboard. Zylinski and her colleagues chose this simple artificial pattern since it allows them to vary its scale and contrast to test the limits of perception. "Coincidentally, the animals have a well-defined square component on their skin which is useful for characterising responses," says Zylinski.
When subjected to circular patterns, cuttlefish often use the same square component to respond. Also, when they were presented with full and broken circles, they elicited the same response. However, circle fragments scattered across a background were interpreted as individual objects, triggering a different pattern.
The experiments suggest that cuttlefish are able to infer shapes from incomplete contours. Zylinski plans to follow up by probing their response to optical illusions where illusory contours are present.
If you enjoyed this post, check out a video about the secret language of cuttlefish or see how researchers are trying to emulate their camouflage abilities.
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