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Caribbean octopus shows off camouflage skills

The octopus changes color from blending in with the reef to a bright electric blue.

By Ben Hooper
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BASSE-TERRE, Guadeloupe, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- A snorkeler taking underwater video in the Caribbean said he was shocked when an octopus dropped its camouflage and emerged from a reef.

"This guy took me completely by surprise while snorkeling in the Caribbean," Jonathan Gordon wrote in the video's description on YouTube. "I dove down to have a look at the shell that you can see just under where the octopus appears and as I approached the octopus came out of hiding. I had literally no idea he was there until I was about a meter away."

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The video shows the octopus change colors from blending perfectly into the reef to a bright electric blue.

Some species of octopus are able to change their colors using specialized skin cells called chromatophores.

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