"Some of these moulds actually pre-date the factory itself, " said project manager Harry Wardill.

BBC: 'Aladdin's cave' of Middleport pottery moulds being moved

The next mystery to solve is how precisely the squid can pick and hold any given color, Wardill said.

MSN: Secret to squid's skin with bling discovered

"The animals are actually developing color on the skin and they're doing it without pigments, and they potentially have the chance to be picking a certain color, " Wardill said.

MSN: Secret to squid's skin with bling discovered