Invisible underwater

Meet the masters of oceanic hide-and-seek

Humpback whale

Its white belly blends in with the light sky and its black back is camouflaged against the dark seabed, leaving prey no chance of escape.

Fangtooth

Red light struggles to penetrate beyond 30 metres of the sea, and the red skin deep-water fish is darker than black beneath the waves.

Plaice

Within the first six weeks of life the plaice’s left eye travels to the opposite side of the body, allowing the fish to watch out while it lies camouflaged.

Mimic octopus

This animal copies the shape, colour and texture of deadly ocean animals like sea snakes and cone snails to intimidate its predators.

Garden eel

These tiny fish plant themselves in sand and sway in the swell to disguise themselves as sea grass.

Leafy sea dragon

The protrusions that grow all over its body make the seahorse almost undetectable among its weedy habitat.

Hourglass dolphin

The zebras of the ocean use disruptive colouration to create a wall of black and white that confuses predators.