Squid disguised as harmless crabs to hunt fish

Changing the pigmentation on the skin and crawling like harmless hermit crabs, pharaoh cuttlefish gently approach the prey.

In a study published in the journal Ethology in May, scientists at the University of Ryukyus, Japan discovered pharaoh cuttlefish acted to simulate how cows and shapes of hermit crabs were harmless when hunting, according to National Geographic.

According to researcher Kohei Okamoto, when disguised as a hermit, cuttlefish pharaoh folded the tentacles and moved them like the legs of crabs. Dark pigments also appear on the skin of this species.

In this way, pharaoh cuttlefish can catch twice as much fish as hermit crabs , also known as hermit crabs, are non-hunting fishes and do not scare their prey. This disguise can also cause other predators to stay away from the cuttlefish, thinking they have a hard shell.

Pharaoh cuttlefish acts to simulate the way cows and hermit crabs are harmless every time they hunt.

According to researcher Nakajima, the cuttlefish in this study were born in a laboratory, never interacting with hermit crabs."They learn from direct observation or this disguise is programmed in the gene is an interesting question about intelligence and complex behaviors," Nakajima said.

According to him, there is a theory that pharaoh cuttlefish from the embryonic stage have observed and learned the behavior of hermit crabs. Researchers first recorded masquerade behavior in 2011 when conducting experiments other than pharaoh cuttlefish.

Camouflage is not a new tactic with cuttlefish or mollusks. Cuttlefish, squid, octopus can change body color, texture, and skin texture in a snap.