Cuttlefish are ugly-cute. With their big eyes, stubby tentacles and bulbous head, they look like creatures from an H.P. Lovecraft horror story. When they move forward, rippling their fins underneath their body, they resemble prehistoric flying saucers. And they hunt at night and are masters of disguise.
This last attribute, it turns out, may have value beyond the sea. New research is starting to show that cuttlefish and their squid cousins may hold the key to the creation of new kinds of camouflage to mask clothes, vehicles and even buildings.
Unlike any other animal, cuttlefish and squid use light to blend into or stand out from their surroundings. Marine scientists believe they do this using tiny sensors all over their skin that enable them to change color without sending messages to the brain. Exactly how this works is still a mystery.