Octopus sleep is similar to that of humans – and they may even dream, a new study suggests. Researchers say the skin patterns the animals create while they are snoozing may indicate they are capable of something similar to dreaming.
Like people, the sea creatures transition between two sleep stages – a quiet stage and an active stage that resembles REM sleep in mammals. While awake, octopuses create a number of different skin patterns which they use to camouflage themselves in different environments, and in social or threat displays, such as warning off predators and communicating with each other.
The animals cycled through these same skin patterns during active sleep, the study found. It could be that they are practising their skin patterns to improve their waking camouflage behaviour, or simply maintaining the pigment cells, one theory suggests.
