How the Blue-Ringed Octopus Flashes its Rings | Physics Today
The greater blue-ringed octopus (H. lunulata). Credit: Kimberly Tripp Randal, iNaturalist
When hiding and camouflaged, the blue-ringed octopus (H. lunulata) conceals the ~60 blue rings that dot its body and arms. But when threatened, in a blink of an eye, it exposes its blue rings in a series of bright flashes, a warning intended to deter predators. Optical physicists and materials scientists are interested in these displays for a number of reasons.
This brief in Physics Today summarizes research from the lab of Roger Hanlon . Lead author Lydia Mäthger is currently affiliated with Roger Williams University.