These Ultra-Black Fish Are Almost Invisible, Cloaked in Nature's Darkest Colours

These Ultra-Black Fish Are Almost Invisible, Cloaked in Nature's Darkest Colours

Source: sciencealert

6/16/2020

In the darkness of the deep sea, where sunlight can barely reach, a single photon of light can blow an animal's cover.

Scientists have now discovered at least 16 species of ultra-black fish, each equipped with specialised skin that allows them to evade detection while hunting or hiding in the dark.

Absorbing 99.95 percent of all photons, this blacker-than-black exterior creates a cloak of invisibility against the ocean's dim backdrop.

Even under a harsh spotlight, these creatures appear as mere silhouettes.
Incidentally, this is what initially piqued Karen Osborn's interest. As a research zoologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, she grew frustrated trying to photograph a striking black fish that had been pulled from the deep sea.