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Cuttlefish Sepia officinalis Preferentially Respond to Bottom Rather than Side Stimuli When Not Allowed Adjacent to Tank Walls.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Taniguchi, DAA; Gagnon, Y; Wheeler, BR; Johnsen, S; Jaffe, JS
Published in: PloS one
January 2015

Cuttlefish are cephalopods capable of rapid camouflage responses to visual stimuli. However, it is not always clear to what these animals are responding. Previous studies have found cuttlefish to be more responsive to lateral stimuli rather than substrate. However, in previous works, the cuttlefish were allowed to settle next to the lateral stimuli. In this study, we examine whether juvenile cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) respond more strongly to visual stimuli seen on the sides versus the bottom of an experimental aquarium, specifically when the animals are not allowed to be adjacent to the tank walls. We used the Sub Sea Holodeck, a novel aquarium that employs plasma display screens to create a variety of artificial visual environments without disturbing the animals. Once the cuttlefish were acclimated, we compared the variability of camouflage patterns that were elicited from displaying various stimuli on the bottom versus the sides of the Holodeck. To characterize the camouflage patterns, we classified them in terms of uniform, disruptive, and mottled patterning. The elicited camouflage patterns from different bottom stimuli were more variable than those elicited by different side stimuli, suggesting that S. officinalis responds more strongly to the patterns displayed on the bottom than the sides of the tank. We argue that the cuttlefish pay more attention to the bottom of the Holodeck because it is closer and thus more relevant for camouflage.

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Published In

PloS one

DOI

EISSN

1932-6203

ISSN

1932-6203

Publication Date

January 2015

Volume

10

Issue

10

Start / End Page

e0138690

Related Subject Headings

  • Sepia
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual
  • Orientation
  • General Science & Technology
  • Biological Mimicry
  • Behavior, Animal
  • Animals
 

Citation

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Taniguchi, D. A. A., Gagnon, Y., Wheeler, B. R., Johnsen, S., & Jaffe, J. S. (2015). Cuttlefish Sepia officinalis Preferentially Respond to Bottom Rather than Side Stimuli When Not Allowed Adjacent to Tank Walls. PloS One, 10(10), e0138690. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138690
Taniguchi, Darcy A. A., Yakir Gagnon, Benjamin R. Wheeler, Sönke Johnsen, and Jules S. Jaffe. “Cuttlefish Sepia officinalis Preferentially Respond to Bottom Rather than Side Stimuli When Not Allowed Adjacent to Tank Walls.PloS One 10, no. 10 (January 2015): e0138690. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138690.
Taniguchi DAA, Gagnon Y, Wheeler BR, Johnsen S, Jaffe JS. Cuttlefish Sepia officinalis Preferentially Respond to Bottom Rather than Side Stimuli When Not Allowed Adjacent to Tank Walls. PloS one. 2015 Jan;10(10):e0138690.
Taniguchi, Darcy A. A., et al. “Cuttlefish Sepia officinalis Preferentially Respond to Bottom Rather than Side Stimuli When Not Allowed Adjacent to Tank Walls.PloS One, vol. 10, no. 10, Jan. 2015, p. e0138690. Epmc, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138690.
Taniguchi DAA, Gagnon Y, Wheeler BR, Johnsen S, Jaffe JS. Cuttlefish Sepia officinalis Preferentially Respond to Bottom Rather than Side Stimuli When Not Allowed Adjacent to Tank Walls. PloS one. 2015 Jan;10(10):e0138690.

Published In

PloS one

DOI

EISSN

1932-6203

ISSN

1932-6203

Publication Date

January 2015

Volume

10

Issue

10

Start / End Page

e0138690

Related Subject Headings

  • Sepia
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual
  • Orientation
  • General Science & Technology
  • Biological Mimicry
  • Behavior, Animal
  • Animals