the idea that any creature could possess a ‘secret’ form of communication is inherently laughable - wouldn’t we expect such an arrangement to be, at the very least partially apparent under scrutiny. on closer examination, researchers might discover just how intricately tied their methods are to more established conventions of study design and reporting methodology. as it stands now, our understanding is that octopuses primarily communicate through changes in coloration or posturing - hardly ‘secret’.
color patterns? what’s the point of changing from blue to red if you’re just gonna go back green anyway, researchers would be better off looking at which colors they associate with danger or food before making any claims about complex underwater chats.
frogs change color for survival purposes. what’s the point of talking about patterns if you’re just gonna switch back to nothing anyway?