Can Octopus tell what color an object is even if they can't see it?

[profesorkaffee]

Hello!
Octopus are known to be masters of diguise, however, they are apparently colorblind.

From what I can find, the reason for them still being able to camoflauge well even with their colorblindness is that they have photoreceptors in their skin, so they can 'sense' the colors with their arms.

What I want to know is that, even though octopus are colorblind/couldn't see the color, do they still know what color something is due to thair light-sensing skin? Like if one looked at a painting, they'd know "that part is red, that part is blue, that part is lightish-brown-purple... etc"

 

[tonmo]

I haven't seen @shipposhack on here for years, but I've asked for access to the paper/project they were working on, as described here:

Thread 'Peer Review/Input on beginning of O. cyanea paper'

Sep 17, 2014

Aloha everyone,

Several months ago I posted about my undergraduate research project (and asked for ideas for possible other projects), and have decided to carry on with the O. cyanea research as originally planned. I am getting ready to start the actual experiment, and would like some of your professional input and suggestions.

Please read my paper here: Google Drive: Sign-in

Some questions/specific things I am looking for help or advice on are:

1. Would the octopuses do okay in a bare bottom tank? Originally I was thinking of covering 3 sides of a cube tank with the desired...

• shipposhack
• Replies: 11
• Forum: Education and Employment

Relevant to your interests -- great topic / question!