Hogfish are the chameleons of the Atlantic Ocean, seamlessly changing their skin color depending on their environment. As if those morphing skills weren't impressive enough, these reef dwellers can also "see" with their skin with the help of special light-sensing cells, even after they die, according to a study published Tuesday (Aug. 22) in the journal Nature Communications.
Lorian Schweikert, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington as well as an avid angler, witnessed this color-shifting phenomenon firsthand during a fishing expedition in Florida, when she watched a hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus) she caught change its skin color to match the patterned white deck of the boat.
