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NOVA: Kings Of Camouflage

Airs Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV

A Broadclub cuttlefish hunting display. This documentary allows viewers to get up close and personal with cuttlefish, the strange and amazing animals that can hypnotize their prey, impersonate the opposite sex, and even kill with lightening fast speed.

Credit: Gisela Kaufmann

Above: A Broadclub cuttlefish hunting display. This documentary allows viewers to get up close and personal with cuttlefish, the strange and amazing animals that can hypnotize their prey, impersonate the opposite sex, and even kill with lightening fast speed.

Monday, June 21, 2010

A giant male cuttlefish

Enlarge this image

Credit: Gisela Kaufmann

Above: A giant male cuttlefish

Cuttlefish are some of the strangest animals on the planet. These shape-shifting creatures can hypnotize their prey, impersonate the opposite sex and even kill with lightning fast speed.

More accomplished masters of disguise than any chameleon, they have a remarkable ability to change their skin color — even their shape — to blend into most any background. They have the largest brain-to-body ratio of all the invertebrates. But are they capable of learning and remembering complex tasks? With beautiful underwater footage and in-depth expert interviews, "NOVA: Kings Of Camouflage" gets up close and personal with these bizarre and amazing animals.

Anatomy of a Cuttlefish:

Blue-green blood? Three hearts? Explore what sets cuttlefish apart from other animals.

Video

Video Excerpt: NOVA: Kings Of Camouflage

Above: Roger Hanlon of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole introduces us to one of his favorite cephalopods, the cuttlefish. This remarkable creature, a cousin of squid and octopus, can change the color, pattern, and even texture of its skin in the blink of an eye. Video podcast produced by Melissa Salpietra and Susan K. Lewis. Edited by Melissa Salpietra. Interview and original footage produced by Julia Cort. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers.

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