It is thought to be a defense against predators as they can blend in with their surroundings when they choose.
This guy however was all bright orange and contrasted with the bottom as he moved along it feeding.
That is until he was tired of me following him… then in a blink the color was gone, the pattern was gone and he folded all his fins in the be an entirely different shape as he zoomed away.
But when I caught up to him again, a few minutes later… the color and pattern were back and he had resumed his search for food along the bottom.
Scientists believe that these fish have light sensors, hidden beneath color changing cells in the skin, that work like Polaroid cameras. Essentially, the hogfish can take pictures of itself without using its eyes or even its brain, to monitor its color changing performance.
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