A bright yellow and red fish on a coral reef
Blue fish amid other sea creatures
Coiled, eel-like fish
Fish swimming in dark water
Three pale, fleshy fish on table
Pink octopus with earlike fins
A swimming ray
Fish glowing with bioluminescence in dark water
Fish with red lips and feetlike fins
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Clown FrogfishA brightly colored clown frogfish shows off its stuff on a reef near Bali, Indonesia. Members of the frogfish family typically keep a much lower profile, relying on the art of camouflage—even changing colors—to stay hidden in their reef homes. Frogfish boast an array of stripes, spots, warts, and other skin anomalies that allow them to impersonate surrounding rocks or plants.
Photograph by Gary Bell, OceanwideImages

Strange-Looking Sea Creatures

Among the ocean’s countless species, some stand out for their looks—but not always in a good way. Meet some of the sea’s most unusual-looking animals.

January 29, 2010