Did you spot the isopod clinging to the coralline algae? Such amazing camouflage, with wonderful matching colors and patterns. Even the segments on the isopod match the shapes of the segments on the coralline algae.
Meet Pentidotea schmitti! I encountered a few of them in the low rocky intertidal zone recently.
Here's a view from the side. Notice how well the leg color matches the algae:
(I think the algae is Calliarthron, but perhaps Kathy Ann will confirm or correct me if I'm wrong.)
1 comment:
All I can think of is isopods had 300 million years to work out strategies like this. It shows.
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