Pygmy zebra octopus stripe patterns are as unique as human fingerprints No two specimen look the same—and that could be a big deal for researchers. By Jamie Dickman Published Apr 13, 2023 3:00 ...

As the team explained: “Dr. Christine Huffard, one of Caldwell’s former graduate students, led a study on the unique body patterns of Wunderpus photogenicus, an Indo-Pacific octopus species.

The team individually housed 25 octopus hatchlings, then photographed and filmed them once a week for around two years. When the octopuses were about two weeks old, their patterns became visible ...

So, by changing the sizes of all the different color cells, the octopus can very rapidly create complex patterns that allow it to better blend in with its surroundings.

The octopus changes its shape, colors, patterns, even the texture of its skin, to look like seaweed, and does it in the blink of an eye. It's called dynamic camouflage.