Harlequin filefish can disguise their smell to confuse predators (Tane Sinclair-Taylor) Biology Zoology 

Harlequin Filefish Uses Smell to Fool Predators

Harlequin filefish can disguise their smell to hide from predators. In fact, they can make themselves smell like coral instead of fish. By Kate Stone Researchers have found an ingenious coral-eating fish that can change its smell to hide from predators. It’s the harlequin filefish, and it camouflages its scent to smell like the coral it’s eating. In other words, it manages to smell like its own food, and not like something else’s. “By feeding on corals, the harlequin filefish ends up smelling enough like its food that predators have…

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Bluefin Killifish, L. Brian Stauffer Biology Zoology 

Bluefin Killifish Flamboyant Fin Colors

Fish use their fins for swimming, but fins can also advertise a fish’s social status and health. In a new study, researchers report that for the male bluefin killifish (Lucania goodei), each colorful fin communicates different messages to other fish. They’re called “bluefin” killifish, but these fish often have red, yellow and/or black markings on their fins. University of Illinois animal biology professor Rebecca Fuller noticed these colorful fins while snorkeling in Florida and decided to find out what causes the variation. “In some of the males, the anal fin was…

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