Can an Octopus See Color? Exciting Results!

The science community has been going back and forth on whether or not octopuses are able to see color. Some say the fact that their eyes contain a single type of light receptor means they're color blind. Others claim that their oddly shaped pupils allow them to see color.

In this experiment, we used two cups. One pink, the other yellow.

When viewed in black and white, the two cups are identical.

We placed food under the yellow cup and presented it to our octopus multiple times. He reached under, and each time he found a tasty treat. We then spent some time giving him the pink cup. The pink cup was given to him each time without a snack.

We repeated this several times.

Our team then presented both cups to our octopus to see whether or not he would be able to find the fish under the yellow cup. We also ran a few tests without a snack to make sure he wasn't picking up on the smell.

The fact that these two cups are identical in black and white would mean a color blind animal would not be able to tell them apart. During the experiment, our octopus ignored the pink cup, and each time went for the yellow cup.

We were very excited to see that Arnold, the octopus in this video, showed incredible preference towards the yellow cup.

We will surely be running many more color tests in the near future including some requests from you, our loyal viewers.

Видео Can an Octopus See Color? Exciting Results! канала Octolab TV