The dusky dottyback is not just a fish; it’s also a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” changing color to blend in with its prey so that it can pick off the unsuspecting offspring, according to a new study published online last Monday in the journal Current Biology.
Fabio Cortesi, a visiting scholar at the University of Queensland, and his colleagues tested their theory by embedding dottybacks in with their regular prey, the juvenile damselfish. They found that the dottybacks, which are native to the Great Barrier Reef, are up to three times more likely to have success feeding on young prey if they alter their colors to resemble the damselfish.
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