Hiding, camouflage & mimicry. Part 16 of my DVD, "Reef Life of the Andaman", available at http://www.bubblevision.com/marine-li... or view the whole 2-hour video at    • Reef Life of the Andaman (full marine...  

In this video we look at how fishes and other marine life use different strategies for hiding themselves from both predators and prey.

First we see how the pastel tilefish, Hoplolatilus fronticinctus, hides by diving into enormous piles of rubble that it has built at dive sites in the depths of the Mergui Archipelago in Burma (Myanmar).

Then we look at how the dwarf whipray, Himantura walga, and bluespotted stingray, Neotrygon kuhlii, camouflage themselves under sand on the seabed at various locations in Thailand including the Similan Islands.

The day octopus, Octopous cyanea, shows us how it ejects ink as a decoy so it can make its escape.

Mimicry is a clever way that marine life hides its presence. We see how the straightstick pipefish, Trachyrhamphus longirostris, mimics sea whips to avoid detection, and how the ornate ghost pipefish, Solenostomus paradoxus, can change its body coloration and orientation to mimic its surroundings.

The giant frogfish, Antennarius commerson, is an ambush predator. They mimic sponges and their slender dorsal spine, the illicium, is waved around like a tiny fishing rod. Bypassers attracted to the lure at the end of the illicium are engulfed by the huge mouth in a fraction of a second. They are also known as anglerfish.

Scorpionfish and stonefish are also ambush predators. They blend in perfectly with their environment so they can pounce on their unsuspecting prey, but have venomous spines as an extra defence. We see a moray eel colliding with a stonefish at Thailand's Boonsung wreck.

The following closed captions/subtitles are available by clicking the CC button under the video:

NARRATION / COMMENTARY:
- English
- German (Deutscher Kommentar)
- Spanish (Narración en Español)

MARINE LIFE & DIVE SITE NAMES
- Dutch (Nederlandse Namen)
- English
- German (Deutsche Bezeichnungen)
- Thai ( ชื่อภาษาไทย & จุดดำน้ำ )

Please get in touch with me if you would like to help translate the narration or marine life names into other languages.

Thanks to Coded for the first music track, "Pattern Errors", and to Toao (SOILSOUND Music Publishing LLC, http://www.soilsound.com) for the second music track, "Starbeam".

I have more scuba diving videos and underwater footage on my website at:
http://www.bubblevision.com

I post updates about my videos, and interesting underwater videos from other filmmakers here:
  / bubblevision  
  / nicholashope  

Thanks to Santana Diving of Phuket (http://www.santanaphuket.com), to Elfi and Uli Erfort and Daniel Bruehwiler for help with the German translation, and to Frank Nelissen for the Dutch subtitles.

Full list of fishes and dive sites featured in this video:

00:00 Bigeye Trevally, Caranx sexfasciatus, Richelieu Rock
00:06 Pastel Tilefish, Hoplolatilus fronticinctus, South Twin
00:40 Dwarf Whipray, Himantura walga, Boonsung Wreck
01:09 Bluespotted Stingray, Neotrygon kuhlii, Shark Point
01:19 Bluespotted Stingray, Neotrygon kuhlii, Shark Fin Reef, Similans
01:27 Bluespotted Stingray, Neotrygon kuhlii, East of Eden
01:35 Day Octopus, Octopus cyanea, Fan Forest Pinnacle
01:55 Straightstick Pipefish, Trachyrhamphus longirostris, Lucy's Reef, Racha Yai
02:03 Straightstick Pipefish, Trachyrhamphus longirostris, Shark Cave
02:20 Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Solenostomus paradoxus, Koh Bida Nai
02:35 Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Solenostomus paradoxus, Koh Bon
02:46 Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Solenostomus paradoxus, Richelieu Rock
02:59 Cheeklined Wrasse (juvenile), Oxycheilinus digramma, Racha Noi
03:11 Giant Frogfish, Antennarius commerson, Richelieu Rock
03:26 Giant Frogfish, Antennarius commerson, East of Eden
03:31 Giant Frogfish, Antennarius commerson, Western Rocky Island
03:49 Giant Frogfish, Antennarius commerson, Richelieu Rock
03:55 Giant Frogfish, Antennarius commerson, East of Eden
04:06 Tassled Scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis oxycephala, Richelieu Rock
04:28 Tassled Scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis oxycephala, Staghorn Reef
04:33 Tassled Scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis oxycephala, Koh Bon
04:37 Tassled Scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis oxycephala, Black Rock
04:42 Tassled Scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis oxycephala, Bungalow Bay, Racha Yai
04:49 Tassled Scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis oxycephala, Richelieu Rock
04:59 Devil Scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis diabolus, Koh Bon
05:04 Devil Scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis diabolus, Shark Cave
05:14 Devil Scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis diabolus, Richelieu Rock
05:19 Devil Scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis diabolus, Shark Cave
05:24 Devil Scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis diabolus, Black Rock
05:34 Stonefish, Synanceia verrucosa, Boonsung Wreck
06:08 King Cruiser Wreck