Uploaded November 2012 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Roger Hanlon explains how camouflage is a visual trick and how cephalopods can alter their appearance to mimic their surroundings.
Learn about chromatophores and how cephalopods control them to camouflage themselves. Also learn about uniform camouflage, mottled camouflage, and disruptive camouflage (which makes the animal look like a bunch of different pieces of the environment, instead of one (yummy) organism).
Roger Hanlon is a marine biologist studying cephalopods (cuttlefish, squid and octopus) and camouflage at the Marine Biological Lab (MBL).
This video is part of the Curiosity Machine.
Visit us at curiositymachine.org to find design challenges based on Roger Hanlon's innovative work and build your own models. Share your work with the Curiosity Machine community, and receive individual feedback from a scientist or engineer who will mentor you and your project!
Roger Hanlon explains how camouflage is a visual trick and how cephalopods can alter their appearance to mimic their surroundings.
Learn about chromatophores and how cephalopods control them to camouflage themselves. Also learn about uniform camouflage, mottled camouflage, and disruptive camouflage (which makes the animal look like a bunch of different pieces of the environment, instead of one (yummy) organism).
Roger Hanlon is a marine biologist studying cephalopods (cuttlefish, squid and octopus) and camouflage at the Marine Biological Lab (MBL).
This video is part of the Curiosity Machine.
Visit us at curiositymachine.org to find design challenges based on Roger Hanlon's innovative work and build your own models. Share your work with the Curiosity Machine community, and receive individual feedback from a scientist or engineer who will mentor you and your project!
