Can you spot the hidden underwater critters? - PHOTO

Away from human eyes, the deep ocean is a world of activity as colourful creatures sweep through icy waters in search of food.But take a closer look and you’ll see a second community of critters – one that hides away in the darkness among rocks, corals and seaweed.With camouflage as their main defence, these creatures are masters of disguise, capable of transforming their colour and shape whenever danger lurks nearby.Berkshire-based photographer, Ed Brown, has been able to capture this incredible sea life in action during his recent visit to the Lembeh Strait in Indonesia. The area is well-known for something known as muck diving, which gets its name from the sediment that lies at the bottom of muck dive sites.‘Muck diving can be characterised by the black sand and general bleakness of the seabed,’ explained Mr Brown.‘It doesn't look much, but it hides some of the weirdest critters you'll find underwater. The occasional coral outcrops house some of the more colourful examples.’Brown was able to capture an image of a crinoid squat lobster, also known as feather star squat lobster or elegant squat lobster, hiding in its surroundings.These small crabs live among the arms of crinoids, often taking on the colours of their host to camouflage themselves further from predators.During the day, they use this camouflage to hide among the crinoid’s arms or feet, before boldly walking the surface of the arms at night to feed.Another impressive master of disguise is the needle cuttlefish, which is almost perfectly camouflaged against the sand in Brown’s image.Recent research has found that cuttlefish can assess the colour, contrast and even the texture, of their surroundings and emulate within seconds, in total darkness.Some creatures prefer to dress up to hide themselves from predators. The Halimeda crab, for instance, disguises itself as algae by decorating its body with pieces of Halimeda algae.But the octopus is perhaps one of the most talented in misleading its prey through changing its colour and appearance.Among other ruses, the sea creature has been known to flatten out to appear as a poisonous sole, and change the colours on on its arms to make them look like poisonous sea snakes.Brown was also able to capture the Halimeda ghost pipefish. Its disguise is so precise that it even mimics the white dead patches on the plant that it hides itself against.‘The pygmy seahorse is being a particular favourite of mine, and only about 2cm big,’ said Brown.The pygmy seahorse blends in so well that it was only discovered by humans in 1969 after showing up with corals in an aquarium.(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.az