Crabs Change Brightness From Day to Night for Camouflage
Crabs change brightness from day to night for camouflage.
Researchers have found that horned ghost crabs change color as a camouflage defense mechanism.
Studying the crabs on the beaches of Singapore and in the lab, researchers from the University of Cambridge and the National University of Singapore noticed that during the day the crabs were a much lighter sandy color, and then got darker at night.
Only the younger crabs were able to change colors so drastically.
They did react and become a lighter color when placed in a white environment, but when they were put in a dark place, the crabs didn’t change color.
The researchers think that their change in appearance is due to a daily cycle of color changing.
Other animals like chameleons, frogs, and fish are known to change color so they can blend in with their surroundings and are harder for predators to detect.
One fascinating example of not only a color changing, but also a shape shifting animal is the mimic octopus that is able to change its appearance to resemble about 15 different ocean dwelling species including stingrays, crabs, sea snakes and mantis shrimp.
Researchers have found that horned ghost crabs change color as a camouflage defense mechanism.
Studying the crabs on the beaches of Singapore and in the lab, researchers from the University of Cambridge and the National University of Singapore noticed that during the day the crabs were a much lighter sandy color, and then got darker at night.
Only the younger crabs were able to change colors so drastically.
They did react and become a lighter color when placed in a white environment, but when they were put in a dark place, the crabs didn’t change color.
The researchers think that their change in appearance is due to a daily cycle of color changing.
Other animals like chameleons, frogs, and fish are known to change color so they can blend in with their surroundings and are harder for predators to detect.
One fascinating example of not only a color changing, but also a shape shifting animal is the mimic octopus that is able to change its appearance to resemble about 15 different ocean dwelling species including stingrays, crabs, sea snakes and mantis shrimp.
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