One of the most sophisticated spies ever made.
Its back conceals a screen
that can replay the patterns expressed by the cuttlefish.
How will this imposter be received?
It's already attracting attention.
The skin of the cuttlefish
shows his emotional state.
Linked to his brain,
thousands of pigment cells expand and contract.
These chromatophores show what’s on his mind.
Our spy's screen responds in kind,
playing the patterns displayed by males.
A first contact
with an alien mind.
He turns to check if rivals are watching.
As he does, the patterns switch to his other side,
the one that faces our spy.
Then a clue to what he's feeling.
He approaches our spy from the side.
It's something he'd only do to another male.
It seems our spy
is displaying a provocative message, that of a rival male.
By approaching from the side,
he avoids the male’s sharp mouthparts.
But as our spy isn't aggressive,
the cuttlefish is intrigued.
It then changes its display
to the more neutral patterns of a female.
The male is even more curious.
In female guise,
our spy gets a very different reaction.
He now dares approach from the front.
A sure sign he knows he's not with a male.
But a female Cuttlefish attracts many admirers,
ones he must keep at bay.