Meeting Abstract

P1-9   -   Quantifying effectiveness of cuttlefish camouflage edge patterns Bonifant, DG*; Buresch, KC; Chubb, C; Hanlon, RT; Tufts University, Medford, MA and Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA; Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA; University of California, Irvine; Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA daisy_grace.bonifant@tufts.edu

To avoid detection or recognition by visual predators, cuttlefish change their mantle and edge body patterns in relation to the visual background. The goal is to quantify and compare the edge designs used in mottle and disruptive body patterns. Mottle body patterns have medium-sized light and dark patches with moderate contrast between them. Disruptive body patterns show large light and dark patches of varying shapes and orientations with high contrast between them. ​We took high-resolution images of 10 cuttlefish (each measured twice) on six natural substrates; these substrates varied in scale and contrast to elicit a range of mottle and disruptive body patterns. Using MATLAB to analyze the images, we first quantified the granularity/optical texture of the mantle pattern compared to that of the background and found that the granularity bands were comparable. Secondly, we characterized the specific pattern designs of the mantle edges used in mottle versus disruptive body patterns with emphasis on contrast, concavity, and convexity of the edges in relation to the immediate visual surroundings. The results of this more complex ongoing analysis will be presented at the poster session. This approach may help reveal principles of pattern and edge design used in cuttlefish and other animals that commonly use mottle and disruptive camouflage.