Many sea creatures and even some land animals (like chameleons) can change their coloring to suit their surroundings and create a camouflage from potential predators, but the cuttlefish's defenses are extremely advanced. Roger Hanlon, senior scientist of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts has studied that cuttlefish closely and claims that their camouflaging strategies have evolved into "an art form."
Cuttlefish are often compared to the qualities that televisions produce. They mix colors to form complex shades and designs. They have about 10 million colored cells in their skin, each controlled by a neuron. When some are on and others are off, the effect creates varied patterns.
Cuttlefish have pigmented organs, or chromatophores, that display various colors. Bands of muscle radiate from each of these chromatophores which contract or relax to let the creature change its hue. As the muscles move, they either hide or reveal the many colored layers.
While the chromatophores are responsible for creating the colors, a layer of cells called leucophores detect the needed change. They do this by reflecting white light, which is essentially all colors displayed simultaneously. While in a shallow body of water, the leucophores will look white, but when traveling into deeper, darker waters, the leucophores will grow darker as well. Fortunately, the color matching skills of the cuttlefish do not require a vision assessment, as cuttlefish are color-blind. Their bodies have complete control and adjust accordingly, and almost instantaneously.
As if changing colors at the drop of a hat were not enough, the cuttlefish can also shape-shift. They literally re-create the structure of their framework by use of circular muscles. When these muscles are contracted, fluid is rapidly forced upward and into various necessitated shapes, including bumps, blades and spikes. The cuttlefish can easily and instantly take on the form of a rock, coral or even kelp. This allows them to ward off predators that are seeking specific shaped items to ingest.