ICUTTLEFISH iyakwazi ukutshintshatshintsha umbala wayo, de ingabonakali ngeliso lenyama lomntu. Ngokutsho kwenye ingxelo, le ntlanzi “yaziwa ngokuba neephatheni zomzimba eziliqela nangokukwazi kwayo ukuzitshintsha ngokuphanyaza kweliso.” Iyenza njani loo nto?

Nantsi into eyenzayo: Le ntlanzi isebenzisa iichromatophore, okanye iiseli ezikhethekileyo ezifumaneka kwisikhumba sayo, ukuze itshintshe umbala. Iichromatophore zinezingxobo ezizaliswe zizidali-bala (pigment) nezijikelezwe zizihlunu ezincinane. Xa icuttlefish ifuna ukuzifihla, ingqondo yayo ithumela umyalezo wokuba kunciphe izihlunu ezijikeleze ezi zingxobo. Emva koko izingxobo kunye nesidali-bala esikuzo ziyakhula, ize le ntlanzi itshintshe ibala nephatheni ngoko nangoko. Icuttlefish ayibusebenzisi xa ifuna ukuzifihla kuphela obu buchule, ibusebenzisa naxa ifuna ukuzenza ibe nomtsalane kwiimazi yaye mhlawumbi naxa inxibelelana nezinye.

Iinjineli zeYunivesithi YaseBristol, eNgilani, zakha uzenzele wesikhumba secuttlefish. Zafaka amacwecwe erabha emnyama phakathi kwezixhobo ezincinane ezisebenza njengezihlunu zecuttlefish. Xa aba baphandi baxokomezela umbane kwesi sikhumba, izixhobo zaba sicaba zaza zanweba amacwecwe amnyama, watsho watshintsha loo zenzele wesikhumba waba mnyama.

Abo baphanda ngezihlunu zecuttlefish—ngokutsho kwenjineli uJonathan Rossiter “ezisisakhiwo esithambileyo esiveliswe yindalo,”—banokunceda ekuveliseni impahla yokunxiba etshintsha umbala ngokuphanyaza kweliso. URossiter uthi abantu banokunxiba impahla ekotshwe kwicuttlefish xa befuna ukungabonakali—okanye ke bayinxibele ifashoni.

Ucinga ntoni wena? Ngaba ukukwazi kwecuttlefish ukutshintshatshintsha umbala kwazivelela? Okanye ngaba kwadalwa?