Does an octopus dream?
A stunning new video from an upcoming PBS documentary suggests that not only do they dream — but they put on a light show when they do.
The clip, titled “Octopus Dreaming,” shows the mollusk clinging to the side of a large fish tank when it begins changing colors in rapid succession — from pale white, to dark brown, back to white and then into a camouflage pattern.
The video, which has gone viral, is an excerpt from an upcoming episode of the PBS Nature series called “Octopus: Making Contact.”
Scientist David Scheel, who narrates the clip, called it “something I’ve never see recorded before.”
“You know if she is dreaming, this is a dramatic moment,” Scheel says. “You could almost just narrate the body changes and narrate the dream.”
“It’s a very unusual behavior, to see the color come and go on her mantle like that,” he said. “I mean, Just to be able to see all the color patterns just flashing one after the other. You don’t usually see that when an animal’s sleeping. this really is fascinating.”
The episode is scheduled to air Oct. 2.