The Humboldt Squid Can Communicate Using Rapid Skin Colour Changes
Biology

The Humboldt Squid Can Communicate Using Rapid Skin Colour Changes

Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) can flash complex patterns of colour and light across their skin within milliseconds using chromatophores — pigment-filled sacs controlled by muscles. Research suggests these flashing patterns are a form of communication between individuals, potentially conveying information about prey, danger, or social status. Their skin also contains photoreceptors, meaning they may 'see' with their skin despite being colourblind in their eyes.

Source

Mäthger, L.M. et al. (2009). Evidence for colour discrimination using polarised light in octopus and cuttlefish. Journal of Experimental Biology.

Details

Published
April 21, 2026
views
47
BiologyMarine LifeAnimal CommunicationZoology

Related Facts

Weird27 views

You Cannot Hum While Holding Your Nose

Try it right now: pinch your nose and attempt to hum. It's physically impossible. Humming requires the mouth to be closed, so sound resonates through the nasal cavity and exits through the nostrils. Block the nostrils and there is nowhere for the airflow to go, preventing the vocal cords from vibrating.

Weird28 views

Human Stomach Acid Is Strong Enough to Dissolve Zinc

Gastric acid (hydrochloric acid) has a pH of around 1.5 to 3.5 — corrosive enough to dissolve metallic zinc. The stomach doesn't digest itself because it is continuously coated by a thick mucus layer. Stomach lining cells are replaced entirely every 3–5 days to prevent acid damage.

Weird22 views

The Human Nose Can Distinguish Over 1 Trillion Different Scents

A 2014 study published in Science (Bushdid et al., Rockefeller University) revealed that humans can discriminate at least 1 trillion distinct odors — far exceeding the long-held estimate of 10,000. The olfactory system uses around 400 different receptor types that combine to create millions of scent signatures.

Humanbody94 views

The Stomach Produces Enough Acid to Dissolve Metal — and Renews Its Lining Every 3–4 Days

Gastric acid in the stomach reaches a pH of 1.5 to 3.5 — acidic enough to dissolve zinc and corrode certain metals. Yet the stomach doesn't digest itself because mucus-secreting cells continuously coat the stomach wall with a protective bicarbonate-rich mucus layer. This protection is temporary: the stomach completely replaces its inner lining every 3–4 days. If this renewal failed, gastric ulcers would quickly develop, as occurs in H. pylori infections that disrupt the mucus barrier.