Professor David Scheel managed to capture a breathtaking sequence on video. The video, which was shared as part of Nature on PBS, showcases how octopus dream. In it, we get to see a color-changing octopus as Scheel walks the viewers through a possible narrative of the dream.
The video first aired in September 2019 and was part of Octopus: Making Contact, an episode of Nature on PBS. “This is a dramatic moment,” Scheel says over the short clip showcasing the color-changing of the octopus as it dreams. “You can almost just narrate the body changes,” he continues. “Narrate the dream.”
Scheel says that the octopus shifts its color to a dark hue when it lifts off from the bottom of the ocean to better blend in with the darkness of the water. As the video goes on, we see the colors changing more on the octopus, even shifting to an almost camouflaged look, as if it has just subdued a crab and is eating it. Octopuses often do this to hide from predators while eating their own prey.
The color changes are exceptionally breathtaking, especially given how cute the octopus looks as it curls up in the water, napping away. At one point, Scheel even says that it is unusual to see the color change so much so quickly. He also notes that you don’t normally see this behavior when an animal is sleeping. The video of the color-changing octopus is just one instance of how unique these creatures are.
You can check out the video yourself for a look at this beautiful interaction. Octopuses are very intriguing creatures, so intriguing even that some believe octopuses could be aliens. While that may be true, it probably doesn’t explain how the color-changing octopus dreams, or why the dreams come across so vividly on the creature itself.
Recent studies have also shown some shocking similarities between an octopus brain and a human brain. Between that and the other studies into these intriguing creatures, it shouldn’t come as much surprise that scientists like Scheel are studying octopuses and finding such unique interactions like this color-changing induced by the octopus’ dream.
Either way, the video of the color-changing octopus is something that you’re not likely to forget anytime soon and something that you aren’t likely to see anywhere else anytime soon, either.
