Name: Rachel Joh
Mentor: Marjan Persuh
Abstract: Cuttlefish are marine invertebrates that bear a close resemblance to squid and octopuses. These mollusk cephalopods have a highly developed visual system that is evolutionary very distant from primate visual system. Furthermore, they have an astonishing ability to change their appearance within a few seconds. Cuttlefish achieve this by a system of chromatophores, an array of tiny sacs, filled with pigment that can expand and contract, that is controlled by a highly developed nervous system. Although cuttlefish possess a highly diverse repertoire of skin patterns, their camouflage has been broadly categorized as uniform, mottle or disruptive. It is unknown whether a specific type of camouflage is more effective and perhaps preferred by cuttlefish. It is reasonable to assume that natural predators of cuttlefish, which are vertebrates, such as fish and seals, possess a visual system evolutionary similar to ours. In the proposed project we will ask participants to search images for cuttlefish and to make speeded responses. We have prepared an image database, which includes images of natural environments alone as well as images of natural environments with camouflaged cuttlefish. We predict that visual search of cuttlefish images will reveal which camouflage strategies are more effective and increase our understanding of visual system.
