When Lorian E. Schweikert, Ph.D., reeled in a hogfish on a fishing trip to the Florida Keys, she noticed something strange after setting it down on the deck of the boat. Hogfish are known for their camouflaging capabilities, but the one Schweikert captured had transformed its color and texture to match the boat deck — after it was already dead.
"It seemed to be doing it by sensing the environment directly," Schweikert told Salon in a phone interview. "[I thought], 'Maybe the skin can see its environment.'"
