Spotting an octopus underwater isn’t always easy. Keeping your eyes on one thing is even harder.
Within seconds, it can change the colour of its skin to match rocks, coral, or sand. But that’s only part of the illusion. It can also change the texture of its skin, creating bumps, ridges, or smooth patches that help it blend into whatever happens to be nearby.
For predators, it’s frustrating. For divers, it’s often astonishing. One moment, an octopus is clearly visible; the next, it seems to have melted into the seafloor.