One quick color change on the Great Barrier Reef is getting a lot of attention online.
Discover Wildlife reported that Master Reef Guide Jamie Wilson filmed a surgeonfish shifting from pale white to deep jet black within seconds.
Wilson said he first noticed something unusual while watching fish above a coral formation.
“I was intrigued by a stream of hundreds of pale surgeonfish high up in the water column, with half of them making a significant detour down to an isolated coral bommie for some reason,” he said, per Discover Wildlife.
“Going in for a closer look, it became apparent they were stopping off for a quick spot of cleaning with a few species of cleaner wrasse.”
The video shows a group of surgeonfish gathering at a coral cleaning station. As one fish moves in, its body darkens almost immediately.
“Fish are thought to change color for a variety of reasons, camouflage, communication, mating practice, stress, in this case, it’s most likely to signal to the cleaner wrasse that it’s not a threat and ready for a clean,” Wilson explained.
He added there is “a potential added benefit of parasites being easier to locate for the cleaner fish.”
The footage drew strong reactions online.
“Wow,” one commenter wrote. “Absolutely amazing.”
“That’s awesome,” another added.
“Fishie went from day mode to night mode,” a third joked.
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