Date: 16/09/2013
Fish hide in the open ocean by manipulating how the light reflects off their skin, according to researchers at the University of Texas.
The discovery could lead to the development of new camouflage materials for use in the ocean. The researchers found that look-down fish camouflage themselves through the manipulation of polarized light after it strikes the fishs skin. In laboratory studies the researchers showed that this kind of camouflage outperforms the mirror strategy by up to 80%. The researchers next task is to understand how the fish are accomplishing this camouflage.