Some of the most amazing creatures live in the deep blue sea. Cuttlefish, squids, and octopuses, for example. The Mesoscopic Imaging Facility (MIF) at EMBL Barcelona was recently involved in studying one unique feature of the octopus: the ephemeral structures on the surface of their skin called Kölliker’s organs. These structures are present in embryos but disappear before the adult stage, and their function is unknown.
MIF examined specimens of Octopus vulgaris, or common octopus, as part of a project led by Roger Villanueva from the Institut de Ciències del Mar at CSIC in Spain. With the help of MIF’s detailed images, the researchers were able to characterise Kölliker’s organs in more detail. They observed that the structures are evenly distributed on the surface of the skin and are roughly the same size, regardless of the size of the species. When the organs are spread open towards the outside, the animal increases its total surface by two-thirds. This could help to facilitate the action of flow-related forces such as drag and propulsion. The ability of the Kölliker’s organs to refract light in two directions suggest that they might also have a role in camouflage.
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Credits
Writer: Luca Tancredi Barone
Video editor: Marius Bruer
Images and videos: Montserrat Coll Lladó, Jim Swoger/EMBL (OPT and SPIM); Villanueva R., et al. (2021) Born With Bristles: New Insights on the Kölliker’s Organs of Octopus Skin. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10 May 2021. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.645738 (SEM)
Design: Rayne Zaayman-Gallant, Tabea Rauscher
© European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
