How Does An Octopus Change Color and Shape? Lesson 64
Nat Theo Nature Lessons Rooted in the Bible
Eryn Lynum
4.8 • 619 Ratings
🗓️ 25 February 2025
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Books and movies portray shape shifting characters, but those are fictional. Meet some true shape shifters: the octopuses. Discover how they rapidly change color and form not through fictional magic but by natural, God-engineered designs.
Here’s our trail map:
- How Do Octopuses Change Colors?
- How Do Octopuses Change Shapes?
- What Is a Hairy Octopus?
- How Can We Be Careful of Mimicry in Life?
Episode Links:
Order Eryn’s new book, The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath Living: https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Rest-Creation-Sabbath-Living/dp/0825448891
Nat Theo Club Bonus Video: https://erynlynum.com/club-videos
Get full lesson guides in the Nat Theo Club: https://erynlynum.com/club
Free Octopus Coloring Sheet: https://erynlynum.com/how-do-octopuses-change-color/
How to make a homemade photo field notes set: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFYwsb4y_8X/
Save $10 on an order at Parabo Press: https://www.parabo.press/?coupon=NAT10&utm_source=NatTheoPodcast
Try CTCMath’s simple and effective math lessons: https://ctcmath.com/
Ask your nature question: https://erynlynum.com/ask
Listen to the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast: https://podcast.schoolhouserocked.com/
Order Eryn's book, Rooted in Wonder: Nurturing Your Family's Faith Through God's Creation: https://www.amazon.com/Rooted-Wonder-Nurturing-Familys-Creation/dp/0825447615
Sources used for research:
Octopus and Squid: The Soft Intelligence by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Philippe Diole
Secrets of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery
Cephalopod Camouflage: Cells and Organs of the Skin by Ryan Gilmore, B.S., Robyn Crook, PhD, and Jacob L Krans, Phd.
https://octonation.com/tiny-hairy-octopus/
Scriptures Referenced in This Episode:
“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.” Matthew 7:15 (NLT)
“But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth…” John 16:13 (NCV)
“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.” Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT)
Terms Learned in This Episode:
Skin Cells: Microscopic cells that build up together to create skin tissue.
Chromatophore: Special skin cells with 18-20 muscles around them that pull and relax to reveal or hide colors inside the cells. The outermost layer of an octopus’s skin is made of chromatophores.
Iridophore: Special skin cells with crystal-like structures (nanocrystals) that can reflect light and appear shimmering green, blue, pink, silver, or gold. These make the second layer of octopus skin.
Leucophores: Special skin cells that scatter light and appear white, creating a blank canvas for other colored skin cells to appear brighter. These make the third layer of octopus skin.
Invertabrate: Animals without backbones.
Papillae: Skin bumps on an octopus that they can raise to rapidly change the texture of their skin.
Hydrostats: Tightly packed, rigid muscles with fluid in them that support an octopus’s body and control their skin papillae.
Mimic: To imitate or pretend to be something you are not.
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Mentioned in this episode:
Magnify: A Wild & Wonderful Summer Adventure by Nat Theo
Join us for summer Bible & nature study! https://thenaturaltheologyproject.com/magnify
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Have you downloaded the free coloring sheet for this lesson? |
| 0:03.9 | Click the link in our show notes to print and color along as you listen. |
| 0:08.0 | And join the Nat Theo Club at the link in our show notes to receive a full lesson and activity guide |
| 0:13.5 | and a bonus video of content every single week so you can dive deeper into every lesson. |
| 0:20.0 | Explore God's wild and wonderful world in the Nat Theo Club at Aaron Linum.com |
| 0:25.2 | slash club or at the link in our show notes. |
| 0:31.2 | Hello world. |
| 0:32.7 | Wake me up to another good good morning time to go. |
| 0:39.0 | Are you ready to explore God's wild and wonderful world? |
| 0:44.0 | Welcome to the Nat Theo podcast. |
| 0:46.8 | I'm your host, Aaron Linum. |
| 0:48.6 | I'm a certified master naturalist, Bible teacher, and author. |
| 0:52.4 | And I am so excited to dive into God's written word, |
| 0:56.8 | the Bible, and his created world with you. |
| 1:09.6 | Have you ever wished that you could change colors to blend in with your surroundings? |
| 1:15.6 | Or maybe change shape to trick someone? |
| 1:18.4 | One day when I was guiding a hike with a bunch of families, I caught up with my son and his friend, |
| 1:24.8 | only when I caught up with them and my son started talking to me, something seemed |
| 1:29.9 | off. It didn't sound like him. I then realized that he and his friend had switched outfits. They were |
| 1:38.4 | wearing each other's shoes, coats, pants, hats, along with sunglasses. They tried to trick us into thinking that they were |
| 1:48.7 | each other. Today, we are learning about an animal who is a master of disguise. Last week, we began |
| 1:56.7 | discovering God's amazing designs in the octopus. If you have not yet listened to that lesson, |
... |
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