Andrew Packard obituary

From 1971 to 1988, Andrew Packard was a lecturer then reader in physiology at the University of Edinburgh, where students are said to have been ‘entranced’ by his lectures Photograph: provided by friend

My friend Andrew Packard, who has died aged 94, was a polymath-scientist and naturalist. His major scientific contribution concerned his work on octopuses, in which he was engaged for most of his life.

Andrew’s study into why cephalopods change colour in complex patterns demonstrated that it was not just about camouflage but ways of communicating and expressing feelings.