Girgit meets the grand judges

It was the nth edition of the ‘Hide and Seek: Blend In Championship’. Girgit (Chameleon) was super excited to participate. It was his childhood dream to participate in this championship. Finally, he was eligible. 

“All the best dear. We are so proud that you got this opportunity. Make the most of it. Do take pictures and keep us updated,” wished Ma, as Girgit left for the competition.

Other denizens of the animal world were also participating in this annual championship. More than winning the championship, Girgit was excited to meet the grand judges. He was also excited to look at the Wall of Fame, which showcased pictures of past winners and runners up. In the past editions of the contest, his family members had come very close to winning the championships.

Every year, three master blenders would judge the championship. Girgit was determined to meet this time’s judges and interview them. This was a golden opportunity. The grand judges this year were the marine master blenders, Madam Octopus and Sir Cuttle. The third judge, Sir Seahorse was on paternity leave and had to miss the championship. 

The judges were renowned for their ability to change their appearances. This had been a subject of many documentaries and books.

After travelling for quite some time, Girgit finally reached the championship venue. He left his bags in his assigned room and started exploring the venue. He reached the quarters of the grand judges. Seizing the opportunity, Girgit went to meet them. He politely knocked at their door. “Come in”, said a voice from inside.

Girgit entered the quarters and saw both the grand judges swimming around. Seeing him approach them, Madam Octopus swam towards Girgit. She looked him straight in the eye, and said, “You look new. Who are you? We have seen many of your kind in this contest. Chameleon, right? We are Madam Octopus and Sir Cuttle.”

“Yes. I am a great fan. I am curious how you change your colours so swiftly,” said Girgit. “I beg your pardon. Change my colours?” asked Madam Octopus angrily, staring with her giant eyes.  She was ready to leave an ink cloud and swim away.

“Madam Octopus, calm down. This child wants to know how we are able to blend into our surroundings so easily”, said Sir Cuttle calmly. 

“Aah, I see”, said Madam Octopus. “Your kind are also quite famous for being able to change colours. But we live in different environments and face different sets of challenges. Thus, different ways to blend in. There are many others who can change their colours and have other features that help them blend in. Some blend in to hide from their predators, while others from their prey,” she added. 

“Your environment has grasses, trees, and soil. Ours has sand, seaweed, coral, and many other things. The coral and seaweed themselves come in different colours and textures. So, we need to be able to blend in with them,” said Sir Cuttle. “Wow. How do you do that?” asked Girgit curiously.

“All thanks to special organs present in our skin. These include chromatophores, iridophores, and leucophores. All these organs change shape based on signals from nerve cells. Chromatophores, leucophores, and iridophores contain sacs with pigments or proteins respectively. These sacs are connected to muscle cells, which are linked to nerve cells. Nerve cells signal the muscle cells to either contract or expand. And the sacs in these organs change shape accordingly. We have three layers of chromatophores in our skin! Each layer is filled with a different coloured pigment. Voila! A myriad of colours. Leucophore sacs have a white pigment, which helps change brightness and contrast of colours. Metallic colours come from iridophores. We also have tiny bump-like structures in our skin, which help us change skin texture,” said Sir Cuttle.

“Wow. Even we have chromatophores and iridophores. But these are cells in our case and not organs,” said Girgit. “Amazing. Everyone is unique in their own way,” said Madam Octopus. “For example, Sir Seahorse is a pygmy seahorse. His kind is so amazing at camouflage that they weren’t discovered until scientists carefully observed their coral home. He is tiny and has blobs on his body, resembling corals. Another amazing example are Lithops or living stones. These are land plants that look like stones and blend into their surroundings effortlessly. We have not invited the plants to this championship unfortunately. But you should try to meet them sometime,” she added.

Girgit’s mind was blown at this point of time.  “Tell me more, please,” he asked. “The list is long dear. Do try to meet everyone and learn about them. You will cherish the experience,” said Madam Octopus. 

“Alright, enough chit-chat. Don’t you need to prepare for the championship? We’d like to rest a little, before the opening ceremony. It was great meeting you. All the best,” said Sir Cuttle.

“I learned so much from you. Thank you, Madam Octopus and Sir Cuttle,” said Girgit gratefully.