The other day, Theresa Graham was out walking her dog along Australia’s Cairns Marina when she saw what appeared to be a few orange leaves floating in the water. As she looked more closely, though, she realized the “leaves” were actually cleverly disguised animals called batfish.
Theresa Graham
When batfish are fully grown, they’re silver-colored with dark, vertical bands. But they’ve developed a special camouflage adaptation to protect themselves from predators when they’re young. In their juvenile phase, they take on the shape, coloring and even movements of an old leaf.
“They look exactly like leaves,” Graham told The Dodo. “Even the way they move and float, drifting in the current ever so gently.”
Until recently, Graham, who runs the social media and digital communications for Master Reef Guides, had only ever seen photos and videos of juvenile batfish. But she was determined to try to see some in person. Every time she walked through the marina, she kept her eyes glued to the water.
When she finally spotted some floating amongst some sticks and actual leaves, she couldn’t look away.
“I was really mesmerized by them, it was only really certain angles you could tell they were fish, but looking at them for a brief time you would have no idea,” Graham said. “It’s a really smart way to blend in, especially since there are so many leaves in the marina and mangrove ecosystems that predators have a hard time spotting them.”
Since juvenile batfish are so good at hiding in plain sight, people walk by them all the time without having any idea what they are. In fact, as Graham was admiring them, several passersby seemed perplexed about why she was staring at debris.
“I think some people thought I was a bit crazy, as it did look like I was filming leaves,” Graham said.
Theresa Graham
Eventually, a crowd of curious people gathered around Graham, who was thrilled to share her knowledge about juvenile rockfish with everyone.
“It was a beautiful reminder of how curiosity and connection can bring people together,” Graham said.
Theresa Graham
Before long, the juvenile batfish Graham saw will develop their adult colors and swim out to the deeper waters of the open Great Barrier Reef. But the people who saw them will never forget having encountered such unique fish.
“Now I’ll be looking at every single leaf in the water,” a commenter on Graham’s TikTok wrote.
