Did you spot it? It might have been pretty easy, being in the middle of the photo and all, but I was still impressed by how well it matched the white-speckled lava rock in its tide pool.
Had I been in full possession of my scientific acumen, I would have chased it a meter away onto a sandy background, just to see if it would come back to rest on the lava where it was cryptic—behavioral background matching.
Regardless, I’m pretty sure this thing evolved to live in this background:
Well, bless my soul! What a cloak! It picks up the white (quartz?) inclusions nicely. If I was a shore bird I’d miss it entirely.
Very cryptic indeed.
When I was a kid living in California, I never wanted to go to the beach, I only wanted to go to the tide pools. They are still one of my favorite natural features to explore.
Did you have a copy of Between Pacific Tides? It was may favorite book when I lived in California.
No I didn’t. I’ll have to check it out.
I thought it’d be the entire photo – did not get it.