The skin of a cuttlefish shows its emotional state, changing colors depending on meeting a potential mate or rival. But what happens when a male cuttlefish interacts with Spy Cuttlefish?
TRANSCRIPT
- [Narrator] The skin of the cuttlefish shows his emotional state.
(water swishing) Linked to his brain, thousands of pigment cells expand and contract.
(water swishing) These chromatophores show what's on his mind.
(water swishing) Our spy's screen responds in kind.
(water swishing) Playing the patterns displayed by males.
(water swishing) A first contact with an alien mind.
(water swishing) He turns to check if rivals are watching.
(water swishing) As he does, the patterns switch to his other side, the one that faces our spy.
(water swishing) Then a clue to what he's feeling, he approaches our spy from the side.
It's something he'd only do to another male.
(water swishing) It seems our spy is displaying a provocative message, that of a rival male.
By approaching from the side, he avoids a danger he's expecting, a male's sharp mouth parts.
(water swishing) As our spy isn't aggressive, the cuttlefish is intrigued.
(water swishing) The spy then changes its display to the more neutral patterns of a female.
(water swishing) The male is even more curious.
In female guise, our spy gets a very different reaction.
He now dares approach from the front.
(water swishing) A sure sign he knows he's not with a male.
(water swishing)
