View Full Version : Chromatophores Firing After Death
DWhatley
Jul 02, '11, 2:46am
This was a particularly sad video to take but I noticed her chromatophores were still active. This activity is mentioned often for both octopuses and squid but we did not have a film of the activity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXgJHSqejRI
Thank you for that. Really.
neurobadger
Jul 02, '11, 2:14pm
Have we figured out what causes chromatophore activity after death, since they're controlled by the nervous system?
DWhatley
Jul 03, '11, 1:03am
I don't think so but I don't get to read many new scientific papers. Recently there was a question as to whether or not the arm might detect light on their own and a recent study suggesting that this is possible but I am going downstairs to see Steve's Nat Geo adventure so will look later. Severed arms will do this though so it is not the main brain.
OK, Steve did not find his archie in the Sea of Cortez but I did find where I posted a reference (http://www.tonmo.com/forums/showthread.php?20173-New-Hanlon-Paper-with-theory-on-Color-Blind-Cuttles-ability-to-match-color)to the Hanlon paper that suggest the skin my be part of color matching through light detection (the article is specific to cuttlefish and is only the beginnings of being studied).
Firing after death would be residual nervous activity (much like a chicken with no head running around for a bit).
J
neurobadger
Jul 03, '11, 10:52pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken
Mike the Headless Chicken
yeah seen that, it was a bit of a joke around work for a while as our head of department was named Mike!!!!! :lol: