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[water trickling]
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[narrator] Beneath the waves,
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lives a mysterious creature,
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older than the dinosaurs.
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Octopus!
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So incredibly alien.
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Changing color in an instant.
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Shapeshifting into almost anything.
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They are the planet's
true masters of disguise.
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Now we're discovering,
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they are one of the
most intelligent beings
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on the planet.
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Two years immersed in their world,
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reveals they use tools.
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I felt completely shocked at
the level of sophistication
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that I was witnessing.
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[narrator] Think creatively.
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Communicate with other species.
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And maybe even dream.
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I wonder sometimes if the
octopuses are dreaming about me,
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wondering what I am, who I am.
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[narrator] We're just
beginning to understand
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what they have to tell us.
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I have just had a
conversation with an octopus.
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[♪ theme music plays]
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[narrator] The Great Barrier Reef.
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The biggest coral structure on the planet.
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Over 1200 miles long.
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And home to more than
9,000 different species.
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[♪ curious music]
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Including her.
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The day octopus.
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Octopus are so alien,
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it's hard to know what you're looking at.
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She, and the 300 other species,
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share some similar quirks.
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A siphon that propels her through water.
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A soft, boneless body,
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conceals a razor-sharp beak
for crushing fish and crabs.
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Two bulbous eyes sit above
a big, powerful brain
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that's capable of something extraordinary.
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She can transform the color,
shape, and texture of her body
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in a fraction of a second.
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National Geographic Explorer,
Dr. Alex Schnell has spent
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15 years immersed in the
world of the octopus.
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Octopuses are the ultimate shapeshifters.
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They can choose when to hide
and when to reveal themselves.
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And studying this behavior
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has offered a window into how they think.
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[narrator] Every dive brings her
closer to these elusive animals.
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[♪ curious music]
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She has privileged
access to their extraordinary
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shapeshifting skills.
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A superpower that makes them hard to spot.
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Your mind starts to play tricks on you,
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and everywhere you look, you
feel like that's an octopus.
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Is that an octopus over there?
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I think that's one over there.
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The minute you kind of give up
and you're like, okay,
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I'm not gonna look anymore.
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Something that you think
is a piece of algae,
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or a piece of coral suddenly moves.
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[♪ curious music]
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[narrator] Alex is face to
face with a Day Octopus.
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The octopus sizes Alex up.
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[Dr. Alex Schnell] She's not
really sure about me at the beginning,
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but we're eye to eye.
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And her skin becomes smooth,
as if to reveal herself.
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She becomes so relaxed that
she starts to clean herself.
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Covering her eyes even though
I'm right in front of her.
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And maybe that's a sign that
she's beginning to trust me.
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When she reached out her arm
and put her suckers on my hand
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it just felt like a life-changing moment.
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And then she turns to look at
me as if to say, are you coming?
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[narrator] She allows Alex
to follow her as she cruises
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along the coral.
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Until something spooks her.
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Reef sharks, ten times her size!
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No way she can out-swim
these dangerous predators.
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[♪ intense music]
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But the day octopus reveals
that she has something
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much better than speed.
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Invisibility!
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[♪ peaceful music]
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Every time there's danger,
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the day octopus melts
into her surroundings.
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[Dr. Alex Schnell] One of the
things that makes octopus
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so amazing is that their brain is
connected directly to muscles
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in their skin.
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And these muscles are
connected to about 20 million sacks
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of different colored pigments.
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By stretching and relaxing
each of the tiny sacks,
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the octopus can produce
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an endless array of patterns and colors.
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[narrator] And she can do it
all in one-fifth of a second.
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[♪ intense music]
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The perfect disguise.
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Her trick is all the more
astounding given that she,
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like all octopuses, is color-blind.
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She doesn't need to see
the color, to be the color.
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[Dr. Alex Schnell] We now know
that octopus skin is sensitive
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to light, which suggests that
they can see with their skin
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not in the way that they might
be able to detect an image,
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but their skin is sensitive to
hues, shadows, and colors
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so that they can detect
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their environment changing around them.
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[narrator] To keep herself safe,
the day octopus transforms
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hundreds of times a day.
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And over weeks she allows Alex to see
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every shade, hue, and pattern.
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They become close!
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[Dr. Alex Schnell] When I
started studying octopuses,
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it was difficult to tell
differences between individuals,
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but if you study them for long enough,
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you'll see little
imperfections on their skin,
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and this day octopus had
a little scar below her eye,
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and that's why I named her Scarlett.
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[narrator] Time with Scarlett
shows Alex that color-changing
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is only half of her skill set.
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[Dr. Alex Schnell] Using small
muscular structures similar to
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what we have on our tongue,
octopuses can change the
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texture of their skin.
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So they can go from super
smooth to really spiky in
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less than a second.
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But what blows my mind is they
don't actually need to touch
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any of the texture that they're matching.
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They can match the
texture just by looking at it.
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[narrator] It's getting late,
which means more predators.
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A crevice in the coral is
a safe den for the night.
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So unfazed now by Alex's presence,
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Scarlett's happy to drift off to sleep.
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All octopuses may not have
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Scarlett's ability for shapeshifting,
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but most can change color.
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And for some, survival depends
not on blending in,
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but standing out.
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[♪ majestic music]
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Near the southern tip
of Australia, this pier
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is home to the weird and wonderful.
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As well as one of the
deadliest animals on earth.
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But unlike the day octopus,
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she comes out when the sun goes down.
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This is a female blue-ringed octopus.
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A mom-to-be.
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She's small, the size of a golf ball.
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She can blend into the
background if she wants to
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but, it's not really her style.
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Her bright blue rings
send a strong message,
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a warning.
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A single bite from her
hidden beak releases enough
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neurotoxin to kill an
adult human in minutes.
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Don't mess with her!
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Especially today.
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She's ready to lay her eggs.
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But it's getting darker,
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bringing out the reef's big boys.
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A smooth stingray, hunting on the seabed.
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She's not scared of him,
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she has enough venom to easily kill a ray.
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But the growing
darkness is more of a problem.
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In the gloom, the octopus's
blue rings lose their vibrancy.
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If the ray attacks?
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Death to them both.
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So she does something that
only blue-ringed octopus can do.
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Triggering muscles to reveal
thousands of light-reflecting
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cells in her rings,
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she dials up her color.
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While also upping the contrast
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by darkening the skin around them.
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[♪ threatening music]
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The ray gets the message loud and clear.
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This is one of the brightest
warning displays of
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any animal on earth.
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Now she can concentrate
on laying her eggs.
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Somewhere out of reach,
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to all but the most flexible.
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[♪ cheerful music]
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Those babies have one "killer" mom.
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Octopuses combine their smarts
and shapeshifting skills
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to expertly decide when to hide,
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and when to stand out.
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But some use this alien-like
superpower in other ways.
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Something Dr. Alex Schnell
wants to witness.
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Now that she has gained her trust,
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Alex hopes Scarlett will allow her,
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and colleague, Dr. Roger Hanlon,
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a world expert in octopus camouflage,
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to watch her hunt.
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[Dr. Roger Hanlon] There's not
another animal group on the earth
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that can change as
fast with as much diversity.
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[narrator] He knows that Day
Octopus are extraordinary.
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[Dr. Roger Hanlon] I call this
one the King of camouflage.
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[narrator] Or in this case, the queen.
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[♪ peaceful music]
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[Dr. Alex Schnell] Does she recognize me?
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My emotions and my heart say yes.
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[♪ peaceful music]
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Then, just like before,
she reaches out to me.
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[♪ loving music]
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[narrator] It seems
Roger has been accepted too.
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They can both follow Scarlett
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as she heads off to hunt.
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[♪ playful music]
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Small fish and crabs are her favorite.
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But they like to hide deep in the coral.
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Not a problem when your
eight arms can delve into
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the tiniest openings.
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[Dr. Alex Schnell]
Octopus arms are incredible.
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They're sensory and smart,
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and they can move even without
the brain having to tell them.
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[narrator] And without bones
or joints, they're the most
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flexible limbs on the planet.
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They can lengthen, shorten,
and bend in any direction.
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Her large brain acts as a
control center for further
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brain-like structures found in
each of her sucker-lined arms.
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[Dr. Alex Schnell] An octopus
have 200 suckers on each arm,
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and each sucker is so
sensitive it's like having
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a fingertip, nose,
and a tongue all in one.
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Imagine how sensitive the
world would be to an octopus.
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[narrator] But to hunt,
she needs to focus.
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Scarlett must concentrate on her prey.
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Not become it.
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[♪ intense music]
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Reef sharks are always on the
lookout for an easy meal.
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This time, Scarlett uses her
talents not to blend in,
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but to confuse.
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She mixes up her colors and patterns,
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breaking up her outline.
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It's called disruptive coloration.
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She can change her appearance
more than 170 times every hour.
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The sharks should swim right by.
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But this one isn't so easily fooled.
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[♪ intense music]
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She's got one last trick,
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and she's left the best till last.
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Stretching the skin on
her arms taut and wide,
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she flashes white.
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It's purposefully weird.
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[Dr. Roger Hanlon] That flash
is meant to make a predator
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hesitate to say, is that
what I want to eat or not?
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This is a thinking, cogitating animal.
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It's making decisions
every moment of the way.
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I really find that extraordinary.
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[narrator] Finally, a tasty crab.
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Even if she really had to pull
out all the stops to get it.
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Day Octopus are masterful shapeshifters,
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but they have a cousin who
uses its intelligence to take
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these skills to the next level.
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By creating the ultimate deception.
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Lush tropical jungle,
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on the shores of the Lembeh Strait.
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But beneath the water.
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A featureless floor of volcanic sand.
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00:24:20,625 --> 00:24:26,298
A problem for this octopus.
255
00:24:31,803 --> 00:24:36,475
[♪ curious music]
256
00:24:36,558 --> 00:24:39,769
There's nowhere to hide,
257
00:24:42,397 --> 00:24:46,318
and lots of hungry predators.
258
00:24:50,780 --> 00:24:55,327
[♪ intense music]
259
00:24:58,163 --> 00:25:02,584
This flounder will rip the arm
off an unfortunate octopus.
260
00:25:10,634 --> 00:25:14,221
He could change color,
261
00:25:14,304 --> 00:25:17,015
but in this exposed spot,
262
00:25:17,098 --> 00:25:19,935
it might not be enough.
263
00:25:20,810 --> 00:25:24,064
Time for some next-level shape-shifting.
264
00:25:33,031 --> 00:25:38,954
[♪ curious music]
265
00:25:39,037 --> 00:25:44,125
He transforms into such a
good likeness of his enemy.
266
00:25:50,549 --> 00:25:57,013
He fools even a real flounder.
267
00:26:06,481 --> 00:26:09,985
[♪ curious music]
268
00:26:10,068 --> 00:26:14,656
Shape, color, movement.
269
00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:20,287
An impersonation so good
it's earned him his name,
270
00:26:21,162 --> 00:26:23,957
the mimic.
271
00:26:29,004 --> 00:26:33,049
He drops the disguise when he spots prey.
272
00:26:37,679 --> 00:26:40,974
[chewing]
273
00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:43,935
Food's hard to find here,
274
00:26:45,562 --> 00:26:47,897
unless you're a mimic.
275
00:26:49,691 --> 00:26:52,319
But his quest for food
has brought him into
276
00:26:52,402 --> 00:26:55,238
someone else's territory.
277
00:26:57,824 --> 00:27:01,202
Damselfish.
278
00:27:01,953 --> 00:27:05,915
They hate strangers invading their space.
279
00:27:10,754 --> 00:27:13,465
And they've got a nasty bite.
280
00:27:20,305 --> 00:27:22,807
So the mimic transforms into the one thing
281
00:27:22,891 --> 00:27:24,893
they won't mess with.
282
00:27:31,733 --> 00:27:34,569
The venomous Sea Krait,
283
00:27:35,528 --> 00:27:39,574
their worst nightmare.
284
00:27:42,452 --> 00:27:46,081
The damselfish are certainly convinced.
285
00:27:51,419 --> 00:27:54,714
An Oscar-worthy performance,
286
00:27:54,798 --> 00:27:57,634
but he's still hungry.
287
00:28:01,721 --> 00:28:06,518
Patches of coral can be a
good place to find food.
288
00:28:10,772 --> 00:28:14,442
But everyone's had the same idea.
289
00:28:15,485 --> 00:28:18,905
Moray eels, groupers,
290
00:28:18,988 --> 00:28:22,575
and the reef's most aggressive predator,
291
00:28:22,659 --> 00:28:25,704
the venomous lionfish.
292
00:28:28,498 --> 00:28:31,668
But the lionfish's fearsome reputation...
293
00:28:33,044 --> 00:28:36,881
Now this he can use.
294
00:28:45,390 --> 00:28:49,602
By adopting the fish's
distinctive shape and pattern,
295
00:28:51,646 --> 00:28:54,816
the mimic warns off other predators.
296
00:28:59,237 --> 00:29:04,325
Including real lionfish.
297
00:29:08,621 --> 00:29:12,542
While he may not look exactly
like a lionfish to us,
298
00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:18,339
it's how he appears to
other animals that counts.
299
00:29:19,716 --> 00:29:23,803
The patch of coral is now his to hunt.
300
00:29:28,683 --> 00:29:33,271
[♪ dramatic music]
301
00:29:38,109 --> 00:29:42,697
This kind of shape-shifting
hints at something unique.
302
00:29:45,366 --> 00:29:48,787
The mimic isn't just copying.
303
00:29:52,290 --> 00:29:56,461
He appears to know how
other creatures see him.
304
00:30:00,715 --> 00:30:04,093
More so, he's aware of what
each one is scared of,
305
00:30:04,177 --> 00:30:07,055
and can exploit their fear.
306
00:30:08,097 --> 00:30:12,018
This is strategy and manipulation,
307
00:30:12,101 --> 00:30:16,314
traits we associate with
human-like intelligence.
308
00:30:23,530 --> 00:30:27,200
Shapeshifting is an art
that octopus have perfected,
309
00:30:28,535 --> 00:30:31,287
transforming themselves to find food,
310
00:30:31,371 --> 00:30:35,917
and avoid becoming someone else's.
311
00:30:43,258 --> 00:30:47,136
[♪ majestic music]
312
00:30:47,220 --> 00:30:52,684
But what happens when two
masters of disguise meet?
313
00:31:00,316 --> 00:31:04,737
Scarlett, the day octopus,
is resting on the reef.
314
00:31:06,948 --> 00:31:09,576
[splashing]
315
00:31:10,034 --> 00:31:15,206
After months of dives, she's
now very used to her visitors.
316
00:31:20,670 --> 00:31:24,382
And willing to let them into
the most intimate moment
317
00:31:24,465 --> 00:31:28,052
of her life.
318
00:31:30,889 --> 00:31:33,725
Scarlett's distracted.
319
00:31:36,436 --> 00:31:39,939
Another Day octopus.
320
00:31:46,446 --> 00:31:49,991
Could it be a potential mate?
321
00:31:53,244 --> 00:31:56,623
Scarlett's now just over a
year old, she may have already
322
00:31:56,706 --> 00:31:59,876
mated with several males,
323
00:31:59,959 --> 00:32:02,837
and stored packets of
their sperm inside her.
324
00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:12,722
She can even choose to mix the
packets to fertilize her eggs.
325
00:32:16,267 --> 00:32:19,228
But she's keeping her options open.
326
00:32:20,188 --> 00:32:23,024
If a better-suited male comes along,
327
00:32:23,107 --> 00:32:25,401
she'll get rid of these stored packets
328
00:32:25,485 --> 00:32:28,696
and use his alone.
329
00:32:31,741 --> 00:32:38,331
[♪ peaceful music]
330
00:32:39,415 --> 00:32:44,545
They touch, sucker to sucker,
to check each other out.
331
00:32:49,258 --> 00:32:52,679
Yes, he's male.
332
00:32:56,307 --> 00:33:00,061
And he's into her.
333
00:33:08,903 --> 00:33:12,156
But Scarlett's not won over so easily.
334
00:33:13,825 --> 00:33:17,161
She wants to see what he's made of.
335
00:33:21,749 --> 00:33:26,504
And he'll be judged on his shape-shifting.
336
00:33:29,924 --> 00:33:33,761
A slow dance of changing color.
337
00:33:39,267 --> 00:33:43,354
Rippling his skin, he shows off new bumps.
338
00:33:52,447 --> 00:33:55,283
A display that could attract predators,
339
00:33:57,035 --> 00:34:00,663
but he can't afford to blend in.
340
00:34:04,375 --> 00:34:08,421
He must risk everything for her.
341
00:34:14,677 --> 00:34:21,309
[♪ accelerating music]
342
00:34:25,730 --> 00:34:32,487
[♪ accelerating music]
343
00:34:35,615 --> 00:34:38,076
Now, Scarlett's interested.
344
00:34:43,998 --> 00:34:49,921
Captured for the very first time,
345
00:34:51,964 --> 00:34:54,759
her arms reach inside her body
346
00:34:55,426 --> 00:34:59,388
and she expels the sperm from
her previous encounters,
347
00:35:01,224 --> 00:35:04,727
it's an invitation.
348
00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:22,120
As he unfurls his arm,
349
00:35:22,203 --> 00:35:25,998
she accepts his advances.
350
00:35:27,333 --> 00:35:33,881
[♪ romantic music]
351
00:35:34,465 --> 00:35:39,053
This is a specialized mating
arm, found only in male octopus.
352
00:35:50,523 --> 00:35:52,191
A white sperm packet
353
00:35:52,275 --> 00:35:57,238
moves down a groove
in the arm and into Scarlett.
354
00:36:02,368 --> 00:36:05,538
[♪ romantic music]
355
00:36:05,621 --> 00:36:09,458
It's the beginning of a new generation.
356
00:36:13,296 --> 00:36:14,839
[Dr. Roger Hanlon] I've got to tell you,
357
00:36:14,922 --> 00:36:16,883
I've seen some of this before
with this species,
358
00:36:16,966 --> 00:36:18,801
but I'd never seen what I saw today.
359
00:36:19,594 --> 00:36:22,305
We've learned something scientifically.
360
00:36:23,598 --> 00:36:26,350
[Dr. Alex Schnell] I typically
see octopuses on their own,
361
00:36:26,434 --> 00:36:28,936
it's rare to even see them interact,
362
00:36:29,812 --> 00:36:32,481
so to see two octopuses mating,
363
00:36:32,565 --> 00:36:35,610
it's such an intimate moment
364
00:36:35,693 --> 00:36:38,738
and such a rare sight to see in the wild.
365
00:36:43,451 --> 00:36:45,745
[narrator] Each one of
Scarlett's babies will inherit
366
00:36:45,828 --> 00:36:49,248
her smarts and shapeshifting skills.
367
00:36:57,465 --> 00:37:00,426
[♪ dramatic music]
368
00:37:01,010 --> 00:37:04,764
Octopuses are the only animals
in nature able to transform
369
00:37:04,847 --> 00:37:07,099
their bodies so completely
370
00:37:07,183 --> 00:37:12,939
in the quest to stay safe, feed, and mate.
371
00:37:16,567 --> 00:37:21,197
The time spent in Scarlett's
world has opened Alex's eyes
372
00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:23,407
to her potential.
373
00:37:26,202 --> 00:37:29,038
Just what more might these
extraordinary animals
374
00:37:29,121 --> 00:37:31,207
be capable of?
375
00:37:37,463 --> 00:37:39,423
{\an8}I've been lucky enough to
build a relationship with
376
00:37:39,507 --> 00:37:43,219
{\an8}the day octopus and see
her mate in the wild,
377
00:37:43,302 --> 00:37:46,514
{\an8}and see the way that she uses
her skin to communicate
378
00:37:46,597 --> 00:37:48,891
{\an8}and also to hide.
379
00:37:49,350 --> 00:37:52,019
{\an8}But there's still so
much more to discover.
380
00:37:58,150 --> 00:38:01,404
{\an8}There's so many more secrets to reveal.
381
00:38:10,913 --> 00:38:12,498
{\an8}Captioned by Cotter Media Group