These underwater creatures are masters of disguise — see if you can spot them camouflaged in these photos
- Animals such as reef octopuses, Denise's pygmy seahorses, and wide-eyed flounder are masters of disguise.
- They can be difficult to spot in underwater photos.
Camouflage is a crucial survival tactic for many animals, including those that live underwater. Their ability to blend into their surroundings can make them difficult to pick out in photos — but not impossible.
See how many camouflaged underwater sea creatures you can spot.
There's a Denise's pygmy seahorse hiding in the coral. Where is it?
The seahorses imitate the polyps on coral, making them hard to spot.
There it is.
Denise's pygmy seahorses are named for Denise Nielsen Tackett, the underwater photographer who discovered the species.
There are two Pharaoh cuttlefish in this photo. Can you find them both?
Pharaoh cuttlefish can be found in the Indian Ocean.
The male Pharaoh cuttlefish can be seen guarding the female as she prepares to lay eggs.
The creatures were photographed in Krabi, Thailand.
Is this just a regular coral reef, or is there an octopus lurking about?
Reef octopuses are difficult to photograph since they're so good at camouflaging themselves.
There is, in fact, a reef octopus hiding in the coral.
The reef octopus was hanging out in a shallow coral reef in the Andaman Sea in Krabi, Thailand.
Can you spot the bearded scorpionfish here?
Scorpionfish are some of the most venomous fish in the world.
It blends in with the brightly colored coral, but it's distinguishable if you look closely.
Bearded scorpionfish mostly stay at the bottom of the ocean and eat crustaceans and smaller fish.
Can you find the pygmy seahorse among the purple coral?
The seahorses can change color to hide in their surroundings.
It looks like another stem of coral, but you can just make out its eyes and mouth.
It's a slightly different shade of purple than the coral itself.
Where is the the hawksbill sea turtle in this photo?
The shells of hawksbill sea turtles blend in with coral reefs.
The hawksbill sea turtle is hiding in the coral.
The turtle was photographed in Komodo National Park, Indonesia.
This image shows a peacock flounder against similarly colored rock.
Peacock flounder are commonly found in coral reefs.
It blends in, but its outline is visible.
Peacock flounder have both eyes on one side of their heads.
One of these rocks is actually a wide-eyed flounder. Can you tell which one?
Wide-eyed flounder can be found in the Mediterranean and the Eastern Atlantic.
This wide-eyed flounder is camouflaging itself amid volcanic rocks near the island of Stromboli off the northern coast of Sicily in Italy.
Like the peacock flounder, the wide-eyed flounder is a flat fish with both eyes on one side of its head.
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