Ngozi Inayoona

Asubuhi ya nne, Chiara alikuwa na jaribio la rangi. Aliweka sahani tatu kwenye sakafu ya tanki. Nyekundu. Bluu. Njano.

The fourth morning, Chiara had a colour test. She put three plates on the tank floor. Red. Blue. Yellow.

Chini ya sahani moja, kipande cha kamba kilikuwa kimefichwa. Leo kilikuwa chini ya sahani nyekundu.

Under one plate, a piece of shrimp was hidden. Today it was under the red plate.

“Pweza hawaoni rangi,” Chiara alisema. “Macho yao hayawezi kutofautisha rangi.”

"Octopuses are colour-blind," Chiara said. "Their eyes cannot tell colours apart."

“Lakini tazama,” alisema.

"But watch," she said.

Pasta alijikunja. Mikono miwili ilinyooka. Ilipita juu ya sahani ya bluu. Ilipita juu ya sahani ya njano. Ilisimama juu ya sahani nyekundu. Mkono mmoja uliinua sahani hiyo. Pasta alichukua kamba.

Pasta uncurled. Two arms went out. They passed over the blue plate. They passed over the yellow plate. They stopped over the red plate. One arm lifted it. Pasta took the shrimp.

“Yeye haoni rangi,” Chiara alisema. “Lakini si macho yake yanayoona.”

"She is not blind to colour," Chiara said. "But it is not her eyes that see it."

Wanasayansi wamegundua kuwa ngozi ya pweza inaweza kuhisi mwanga. Aina ya seli zilizoko kwenye macho ya binadamu zipo kwenye ngozi ya pweza. Ngozi inaweza kuona rangi.

Scientists have learned that octopus skin can sense light. The same kind of cells that are in human eyes are in octopus skin. The skin can see colours.

Hivi ndivyo mnyama asiyeona rangi anaweza kuiga rangi za matumbawe na mchanga. Macho hayaoni rangi. Ngozi ndiyo inayofanya hivyo.

This is how a colour-blind animal can copy the colours of coral and sand. The eyes do not see the colours. The skin does.

Polly alitembea polepole kando ya ukingo wa tanki. Hakuwahi kufikiria kuhusu macho yake mwenyewe. Wazo kwamba mnyama anaweza kuona kwa ngozi lilikuwa la kushangaza sana.

Polly walked slowly along the rim of the tank. She had never thought about her own eyes. The idea that an animal could see with its skin was very strange.