Eli5: How can some animals change their colors instantly and camouflage?

Question

Eli5: How can some animals change their colors instantly and camouflage?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Depends on the animal, but I think you’re thinking of cephalopods. The answer for them is chromatophores. There are tiny little pigments throughout an octopus’s skin, and these come in several different colors. When a chromatophore expands, that pigment becomes more visible, and so the octopus/squid/cuttlefish appears to change color.