2023-12-18 15:43:48
The octopods kept in aquariums by biologists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan spend most of their time sleeping. With their arms sucked to the glass walls, they hang still and still for a long time. Her skin is a monotonous yellowish-beige color. But about once an hour, everything changes for sixty seconds: then colored waves run over the animals’ skin, brown and dark gray spots appear, flow, change their shapes, then disappear again. They are color patterns that animals use during the day to camouflage themselves, warn enemies or communicate with other animals. At the same time, the sleeping animals twitch their muscles and move their eyes behind closed eyelids.
What happens if animals suddenly change color while they sleep? Do they dream the way we know mammals do? Researchers led by team leader Sam Reiter examined the sleep of Octopus laqueus. Practically, the species is naturally nocturnal – so the researchers didn’t have to work night shifts. However, the effort involved in their study was still high, as the animals’ brain waves had to be measured. The results were published in the journal Nature in June: Octopods have two very different sleep phases, one quiet and one active. And that is actually very reminiscent of mammals.
#octopuses #social #dream