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Shape-shifting is often a trait seen only in science fiction novels or monstrous creatures in films. While it’s unlikely that we’ll ever come across an organism capable of transforming its form in the real world, evolution has equipped certain creatures with this remarkable skill.
From expanding in size and twisting their bodies to creating the illusion of change, there are numerous organisms across the globe that would find our fixed body shape quite dull. Here are 10 incredible shape-shifting organisms.
10. Slime Mold
A yellow, gel-like mass slowly advancing towards you may seem like the stuff of nightmares. This blob is on a quest for food, moving in search of sustenance while constantly altering its form. Bright light sends it undulating away, seeking refuge in the darkness. It isn’t a monster—it’s a slime mold.
Slime mold refers to a variety of unrelated organisms that exhibit this fascinating behavior. These organisms can live as individual single cells. However, when the conditions are right, these cells can merge to create a giant single cell, known as a plasmodium, which contains multiple nuclei.
The real intrigue for scientists isn’t the transformation between single-celled individuals and plasmodium. Instead, their focus is on how the plasmodium changes shape to solve complex puzzles.
Physarum polycephalum, the most studied slime mold, is capable of finding the most efficient route through mazes. In one experiment, it was placed on a model of Tokyo, with oats positioned in key areas for it to feed on.
The network formed by the slime mold, connecting the food sources, closely resembled the real city’s rail system. A slime mold proved to be as effective at urban planning as a group of human experts.
9. Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are extraordinary creatures. Related to squid and octopuses, they share a similar body structure but possess distinctive abilities. To communicate, cuttlefish display intricate patterns on their skin by manipulating special colored cells that they can expand or contract at will. This skill allows them to blend into their environment or even imitate other animals.
In the video above, cuttlefish are shown adopting the shape, colors, and behaviors of hermit crabs. Despite being agile swimmers, they move along the ocean floor in the same way a hermit crab would.
When a fish gets too close to the seemingly harmless hermit crab, the cuttlefish extends two long tentacles to snatch the fish. Cuttlefish also mimic hard-shelled crabs to ward off predators that would otherwise target their vulnerable, soft bodies.
Other cuttlefish have been observed changing their shapes and colors to resemble clumps of algae, branches of coral, floating seaweed, and even other marine creatures.
8. Puffer Fish
Puffer fish (also known as blowfish) are some of the most charming creatures of the ocean. In their calm state, they appear a bit awkward, gazing out at the world with an expression of total indifference. Most predators don't pose a threat to them due to their clever shape-shifting defense mechanism.
When threatened, the puffer fish engulfs several times its body weight in water, inflating into a massive, clumsy ball, often covered in sharp spines. This confuses most predators, causing them to abandon their attempts to eat the puffer fish.
This remarkable transformation is made possible by several adaptations. The puffer fish's skin is extremely flexible, allowing it to stretch without tearing. It also contains robust proteins that give it firmness when expanded, making it difficult for attackers to puncture.
The fish's stomach is large, but it remains folded in on itself when not being used for defense. As it takes in water, the stomach unfolds to accommodate the extra volume. If a predator does manage to consume a puffer fish, it will face a dangerous surprise. Many puffer fish have organs filled with potent toxins.
7. Octopus vulgaris
Octopus vulgaris (also known as the common octopus) possesses extraordinary abilities. When it comes to camouflage, these creatures are masters of disguise. They can virtually vanish into their surroundings on the seabed by retracting their long tentacles, altering the shape and texture of their bodies, and using their remarkable ability to change color.
Octopus ancestors once had shells for protection. Lacking this armor, they had to evolve alternative defense mechanisms. If a predator manages to spot an octopus despite its camouflage, the octopus can quickly alter its shape to escape.
The octopus may puff up its tentacles to appear more intimidating or extend them toward the predator to ward it off. If those strategies fail, the octopus, with its flexible body, can slip through even the smallest gaps in rocks to make its escape.
6. Deepstaria enigmatica
Imagine swimming in the pitch-black depths of the ocean, 1,525 meters (5,000 ft) below the surface. No sunlight penetrates this far, and your only source of light is a small torch illuminating your immediate surroundings. Suddenly, from the darkness, a shifting mass of flesh emerges, threatening to envelop you.
Fortunately, humans can't swim at those extreme depths. However, those who operate submarines have encountered such eerie situations.
Deepstaria enigmatica is a type of jellyfish that doesn't possess the usual compact bell shape of many other jellyfish. Its bell is very thin, with walls that ripple gently as it moves.
One moment, the jellyfish might appear tightly folded in on itself. The next, it unfolds its vast surface area, drifting toward you. Its shape is regulated by a network of muscles embedded within its walls.
The jellyfish traps its prey when they accidentally swim into the large, parachute-like part of its body. Once inside, the walls close in, exposing the unfortunate victim to stinging cells that paralyze it, allowing the jellyfish to begin its digestion.
5. Sea Cucumbers
Like many invertebrates that lack exoskeletons, sea cucumbers move by altering their shape. While this may seem unremarkable, as shown in the video above, sea cucumbers possess a few extraordinary shape-shifting abilities that distinguish them from other creatures.
Certain sea cucumbers can extend a wide array of slender tentacles to capture passing food particles or even larger animals. Perhaps the most surprising way a sea cucumber can change its shape occurs at the opposite end of its mouth. When threatened, it can expel its internal organs through its anus. The filaments of these organs are toxic and can kill the attacker.
The mechanism behind the sea cucumber's shape-shifting ability was only recently discovered. These animals can swiftly transition from a rigid structure to a soft, jelly-like state.
Their tissues contain a stiff protein called collagen, but what sets them apart is that it is controlled by their nervous system. The firmness or flexibility of their tissue is determined by the simple neural network within the sea cucumber.
4. Tentacled Caterpillar
While studying the treetops in the Peruvian jungles, entomologist Aaron Pomerantz noticed something odd. While calling out to his team, he spotted movement on a nearby leaf.
The jungles are filled with all kinds of creatures, so seeing movement isn't unusual. However, this particular caterpillar seemed to respond directly to the sound of his voice. Every time he shouted, the tiny caterpillar extended four tentacles. By pumping liquid into these appendages, the caterpillar could nearly double its length.
These caterpillars, also known as horned-spanworms or filament bearers, display fascinating shape-shifting abilities that are not fully understood by science. One theory suggests that their shape change mimics the motion of a falling brown flower.
Other researchers believe the caterpillars extend their tentacles to confuse predators, making them more likely to grab the tentacle rather than the caterpillar itself. Another possibility is that the tentacles sense vibrations and act as an early warning system for the caterpillar.
3. Mimic Octopus
The mimic octopus, although not a rare species, was only discovered in 1998. This late discovery hints at the incredible abilities of this cephalopod. With its capacity to alter its color, shape, and behavior, the mimic octopus can adopt various disguises to adapt to any situation.
Though vulnerable to attacks, the mimic octopus survives by imitating animals that predators tend to avoid. While moving along the ocean floor, it mimics a poisonous flounder, rippling its body along the sand.
When it needs to swim above the seabed, the mimic octopus extends its tentacles to resemble the poisonous spines of a lionfish. If threatened, it displays the colors of a venomous sea snake and assumes an aggressive posture with its tentacles.
Other disguises the mimic octopus can adopt include those of stingrays, mantis shrimp, anemones, and jellyfish. Truly, the mimic octopus is a master of shape-shifting.
2. Northern White-Faced Owl
Bluffing by puffing up to ward off predators is a widespread strategy in the animal kingdom. Humans also use this technique in face-offs. The northern white-faced owl, however, has the ability to adjust in two different ways.
Depending on the nature of the threat, the owl can either grow in size or shrink. If the predator is similar in size, the owl will extend its wings and flatten the feathers around its face, making itself appear far larger than its actual small size.
When the threat is far larger, the owl will pull its wings over its chest, flatten its feathers, and stretch its body, attempting to blend into the environment. In the wild, if a larger predator is near while the owl is perched on a tree, it may use this strategy and lean sideways to resemble a smaller branch.
1. Mutable Rainfrog
While many invertebrates can alter the texture of their skin, the first vertebrate to do so was found in Ecuador in 2006. The mutable rainfrog can rapidly transform from a smooth-skinned frog into one adorned with spines.
The discoverers immediately recognized the frog's unique ability and knew they had stumbled upon something extraordinary. By observing the frogs in their natural habitat, they noted how the creature could become spiky in response to threats. Once the danger passed, the frog could smooth its skin to move and swim freely.
Upon further examination, the animal was confirmed as a new species. Researchers discovered that several closely related frog species had the ability to alter the texture of their skin, though this had gone unnoticed until then.
Due to its spiky appearance, the mutable rainfrog has earned the unofficial nickname “punk rocker frog” from the team that made the discovery.
