Among aquarium enthusiasts who keep bettas, it is usually the male fish that are known as the "colorful ones." Oftentimes the males are favored over the females not only for their color, but also ...

Fish colors are produced through specialized cells called chromatophores. These cells contain pigments such as carotenoids (reds, oranges, yellows), melanins (blacks, browns), and structural colors ...

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 ...

When fish suddenly change color, there are little photoreceptors embedded deep within their skin keeping watch to ensure the color is just right, according to new research. For the first time, ...

DURHAM, N.C. -- A few years ago while on a fishing trip in the Florida Keys, biologist Lori Schweikert came face to face with an unusual quick-change act. She reeled in a pointy-snouted reef fish ...

Striped marlin are some of the fastest animals on the planet and one of the ocean's top predators. When hunting in groups, individual marlin will take turns attacking schools of prey fish one at a ...

A common aquarium fish has given researchers the inspiration for a new type of color-shifting device (ACS Nano 2019, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b00822). The technology might one day provide soldiers with ...

Deep-diving fish have a problem: The only light that penetrates their watery environment is blue and green hardly enough of a palette for flashy color patterns. Now, a new study reveals these fishes' ...