Purpose

• To Answer Tinbergen's question: How did the behavior evolve?

Definition

• Phylogeny- The evolutionary history of species development within a taxonomic group of organisms, extinct and extant, that descended from a common ancestor

This phylogenetic tree displays the relationships of the octopus within the molluscs; the entire cephalopoda class is known to have camouflaging behaviors. 

Enough about the octopus ancestry. When did it learn to camouflage?!

Camouflaging in mollusks was first observed and described in scientific literature by the late 1800s (Nottidge Moseley, 1879). Naturalists like Henry Nottidge Moseley provided some of the earliest detailed accounts of cephalopods, such as octopuses and cuttlefish, using camouflage in his work during the Challenger expedition (1872–1876). The adaptive coloration and ability to blend into their environments are traits that have likely been present in mollusks for millions of years, but documented observations and studies began in earnest in the 19th century.