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Painted Frogfish Antennarius pictus This orange frogfish yawns as a snack goes down the gullet, beyond those sharp teeth. He was waiting for prey -- until someone blundered by. The small white frilly object, just about where his right eyebrow would be, is his lure, useful for bringing curious small fish into range. I like to think of an image showing the starship Enterprise being sucked into his mouth. Somehow his Latin name, Antennarius pictus , sounds perfect for an alien g

Seahorse Hippocampus kuda Sea horses (unlike land horses) can change their color. This particular fellow chose black or dark brown, with white spots and gold trim for this moment. I am guessing that he is male from a brood pouch on his lower abdomen, and that he is a common seahorse ( Hippocampus kuda ) rather than another of the many species in the Philippines. I like the fuzz on his snout and chest, which looks to me like tiny hydroids. Zoom in!

Frogfish Frogfish are ambush predators. When they see prey swim into range, they quickly gulp an enormous swig of water, and swallow it down. This individual has just spotted a delightful snack. Afterwards, he seemed have a case of the hiccups, making a series of smaller gulps. Frogfish are masters of the art of camouflage. They have bright colors and lumpy, irregular skin texture (which they can change over periods of days or weeks to match their surroundings). Recognizing a

Wunderpus photogenicus Greetings from the Wunderpus! The wunderpus has astonishing shape-shifting ability. This fellow displayed for me a bit, but seemed to be getting tired and perhaps bored, so I swam off after this shot.