418 Dive Log Australasia JUNE 2026.pdf

and had never seen it. His camera was playing up and he was so distraught that he was joking about being in tears. I realized I had just had a golden moment. Right time, right place, right camera lens. Sometimes you can be lucky! Cryptic camouflage and Warning Colours. Some divers are well versed in Marine Biology and Evolution. We regularly see the effects of Natural Selection when sharks clean up sick, injured fish. For example. We see the bright warning colouration of Flatworms informing fish that they are toxic. Aposematic Camouflage. We see Nudibranchs mimicking Flatworms, Leatherjackets (Filefish) mimicking Valentine’s Puffer fish and even hybridization of species of Angelfish. The sea is a paradise for students of evolution. Lembeh is a special Garden of Eden in which divers can see real magic in the waters. Wallace was the first to explain the significance of bright colours to warn birds not to eat toxic caterpillars. Warning colouration is far more common in the sea. Lionfish show off their bright colours to warn divers about their toxic spines. Rhinopias Scorpion fish I had to wait until day eleven of my trip to find a Rhinopias Scorpion fish. They specialize in Juvenile Puffer fish are toxic and use Aposematic camouflage; showing off to warn predators that they are poisonous.

mimicking the colour and texture of the leather coral, Sarcophyton . I took plenty of photos of my Paddle flap Rhinopias from every angle. However, I was thinking about tonight’s night dive. As soon as I got back in the boat, I said to my dive guide. “John, I think that Rhinopias is hungry.” Rhinopias often stay put for days. That night, we quickly located the lethal predator by looking at the depth of twenty metres. The best way to relocate an object underwater is to search the depth contour near your prime site and make the adjustment for the tidal change if necessary. I watched as a fusilier swam close to the Rhinopias. The prey was two-thirds the size of the predator. Rhinopias struck with lightning speed and gulped down half the fish. It took a moment to rest, re-grip its dinner and gulp down some more. At the end, a huge bulge in the stomach could be seen. It was in the shape of a fish! A large fish tail was poking out of its mouth for minutes. We observed the same feeding technique with a Frogfish one night. This time, the prey was the same size as the Frogfish. The Frogfish might look cute but it is one of the most lethal killers in the ocean. It ate the fish but it did take a few minutes to get it all in. Both predators have a greatly expandable stomach, a necessary adaptation for gorging enormous meals. Golden Box Fish also uses bright colours to advertise that it is toxic and should be left alone.

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Dive Log Australasia #418 June ’26

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