Example 3b
All images copyright protected, © Doug Segar and Elaine Stamman Segar.
Lurking in the seagrass is a double-ended pipefish, Syngnathoides biaculeatus. This pipefish perfectly matches the color of the seagrass and even has a flecked pattern to mimic the detritus on the seagrass blades. Because it is still difficult to see in this enlargement of the previous photograph, we have added labels to show you where the mouth and eye are located.
The double-ended pipefish is a very poor swimmer and usually anchors itself to the seagrass by wrapping the end of its prehensile tail around the grass blade. The pipefish's excellent camouflage is needed to allow it to evade detection by potential predators for it is far too slow to outrun most such predators.
Still having difficulty seeing the pipefish in the photograph above? Click the photo to see what a pipefish looks like while swimming out in the open.