A clever disguise Bioluminescence can provide effective
camouflage. In the twilit depths, the silhouette of an animal against the
sunlight filtering down is an easy target. This is why many open-ocean
predators like the hatchetfish have upturned eyes and mouths. But the hatchetfish itself is prey to bigger fish swimming
below it. It's narrow silhouette and silver sides make it harder to see,
but it also emits light from its belly that is a perfect match in color and
intensity to sunlight filtering down. If a cloud dims the sunlight, the fish
dims its bioluminescence—a trick called counterillumination.
