FAQ
A contribution of The Cephalopod Page
| Question: |
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Hello Mr. Wood, I have a question about the size of the cells in the cephalopod skin. What is the number of cells per millimeter when you "go through" the skin from the outside to the inside of the cephalopod and what is, when using printer units, the amount of dots per inch that a cephalopod has? I'm doing a project about the skin-changing abilities of cephalopods, but am unable to find any info - text nor pictures - about cell size and their way of packing. |
| Answer: |
| Fully expanded chromatophores are up to 1.5mm in diameter in squid and 0.3mm diameter in cuttlefish. I would guess that they are at least 100 times smaller when not expanded. Chromatophore density ranges from 8 to 230mm (squared). Cephalopods, like octopuses have more and smaller chromatophores are able to create more complex and detailed patterns - just like a printer with a higher dpi.
Hanlon and Messengers' book "Cephalopod Behaviour" Is highly recommended on The Cephalopod Page and contains more information about chromatophore structure, etc. Dr. James Wood |