Beautiful fish is one of the world's best camouflage artists

The Peacock Flounder is a wonder of nature and a master of camouflage. It is one of the most unusual fish in the ocean. Flounders begin life with an eye on each side of their head and they swim upright like other fish. But as they reach maturity, the right eye migrates to theft side of the head and the flounder swims along the bottom on its side. They are most often found on sandy bottoms but will often lie on flat rocks and coral.

This Peacock Flounder was seen motionless on the sand, blending in perfectly with the color and texture beneath it. They can change their pigmentation instantly to mimic their surroundings. From above, they are almost invisible. The only thing that was visible to this diver and his camera was a pair of protruding eyes moving about like twin periscopes. The flounder can move the eyes independently, allowing it to see in all directions. It can even use one eye to view forward as it swims, all the while watching behind with the other. This gives it a terrific advantage for avoiding predators. The Peacock Flounder's color change is extremely complex and complete change can be accomplished in a mere 8 seconds. It can even mimic the pattern of a checkerboard. How it does this is still largely a mystery. It is known that the flounder requires both eyes to match its color properly and it will be unable to do this if one of its eyes is damaged or obstructed.

The Peacock Flounder has gorgeous rings on its body that turn a bright blue when it is not trying to disguise itself in the sand. As the diver approaches this one, the eyes dart back and forth and it lifts off to move away. As it does so, blue rings appear over the flounder's entire body. Unless disturbed, Flounders will remain motionless throughout the day, becoming more active at night as they hunt small fish and crabs.