Abstract
As a cephalopod, Octopus vulgaris is capable of the fastest and some of the most varied colour changes in the animal kingdom ; yet there is a remarkable lack of evidence for these being used in courtship or mating displays of the kind associated with brightly coloured vertebrate animals. Courtship colour display by a less studied octopus (probably O. horridus) has been observed by Young1, and the dramatic ‘zebra’ pattern of the decapod, Sepia offitinalis, which is used both in courtship and as a threat between males, is well known.
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References
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PACKARD, A. Sucker Display of Octopus . Nature 190, 736–737 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/190736a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/190736a0
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