The Indonesian mimic octopus is able to camouflage itself from predators by blending into the background  Sometimes, though, even when a predator is nearby, the mimic octopus takes on a color pattern that is not present in the immediate environment
A marine biologist of cephalopods claims that this behavior is a sign of an octopus engaging in play, meaning that the behavior does not confer any specific advantage
Marine biologists are not familiar with all of the environments that the Indonesian mimic octopuses inhabit, since it is known to swim into crevices deep in the ocean's floor.