Can you spot the pygmy seahorse? Image: Bernard Dupont
Animals that are low on the food chain, or those that hunt by sneaking up on their prey for a surprise attack, have got to find a way to blend in. These animals do so by displaying some of the most insane camouflage coloring on the planet. Can you spot them?
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Pygmy seahorses are tiny seahorses (measuring under 2cm!) that inhabit and mimic fan corals. They are found exclusively in southeast Asia in the Coral Triangle, an area named for its enormous number of corals.
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Bearded scorpionfish. Image by Kjeld Friis
The scorpionfish family contain the world’s most venomous fishes. The numerous spines along their back of the fish contain venomous glands that can deliver a very painful sting (so try not to step on one). These bottom feeding fish are ambush predators, hence the camouflage, that feed mainly on crustaceans and other fish. This particular species thrives in the Indian Ocean.
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Leopard flounder
The leopard flounder is a flatfish (a flat body with both eyes migrated to the one side) found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It inhabits the sandy bottoms of the sea to lie in wait for unsuspecting prey to swim by. These flounders are virtually invisible on the sandy floor and are often found in shallow lagoons, bays, or reefs.
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Goby on a teary eye coral
Goby fish are found in oceans all over the world, and the family consists of over 2,000 species. They come in every size imaginable, but most are quite tiny – the majority don’t measure over 10cm. They color-changing ability isn’t the only thing these gobies are known for: Some species are able to change their sex when necessary (such as when the only male in the group dies)!
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(Skip to 0:10 to see the octopus appear of nowhere!) Octopuses have an insane ability to mimic their surroundings when frightened or attempting to sneak up on prey. Researchers have found that certain cells in the skin, called chromatophores, create these impressive color changes. Smithsonian Museum scientist Fox Meyer explained, “If you squeezed a dye-filled balloon, the color would be pushed to the top, stretching out the surface and making the color appear brighter.” Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly how they can blend in to their surroundings so well considering the fact that they’re actually colorblind!
