C.O.W. #287. Coral Reef Camoflauge - VOTING!

[Si_Swe]

Round #287 - Voting!

Topic: Coral Reef Camouflage

Deadline for voting: February 12th, 2013

Round requirements:

- The creature must reside within a coral reef environment

- The creature must have some method of camouflaging itself

- The method of camouflage must not relate to transparency

[Sickbrush]

Artist: Sickbrush

Concept: Myliobatoidei Radiata
This flat wide bodied fish spends its time lurking around coral reefs and is a type of static predator. Its highly poisonous antennae imitate algae and the various species of fish feeding on that are in for a deadly surprise. The "mylio" hangs in there and whenever it feels an unsuspecting victim it just calmly waits for the feast. Its back is covered in a segmented carapace that simulates the surrounding in a very natural way, its camouflage being formed much like the reef around it except at a higher pace.

p.s. Don't step on it. The poison goes through skin.

[N A Johnson]

Artist: N A Johnson

Concept: Tretin


The tretin is an eel-like creature that is so adept at manipulating the shapes and colors of its body that it can become a convincing part of its coral environment almost instantaneously. Hiding in the coral, the tretin may then shift the designs and colors on its broad head, animating them in a way that it will most appeal to its prey and lure it within striking range. The most remarkable aspect of the creature is its intelligence. The tretin is known to study various prey to the point of learning its preys' common food sources, and sometimes it will create at its head an animation sequence based on an appearance of a prey's food source. Most often it will just use a sequence based on the colors and patterns of the prey itself.

[Daniel Hurd]

Artist: Daniel Hurd

Concept: Coral Dragon

The Coral Dragon also known as Tylosaurus Pardalis. The massive marine reptile reaches about 28 feet in length and looks like a giant moray eel. It is perfectly adapted to survive in it's coral reef environment. It uses it's extraordinary camouflage of corals, barnacles, sponges, and invertabrates to capture unsuspecting prey. It generally feeds upon large fish but has been known to snatch sea turtles- crushing their shells with it's powerful jaws. Because it is so well camouflaged it remained nearly undiscovered until recently.

Thanks for looking!

[Spydr]

Artist: Spydr

Concept: Sea Ghost, Sea Rug, or Sea Sloth depending on regional preference (Oceamiculum oceadicis)
The Sea Ghost (Oceamiculum oceadicis) is an opportunistic omnivore. Living mostly off algae it scrapes off coral with it's radula. It will eat the occasional soft coral and sometimes take off chunks of stoney corals. The Sea Ghost's skin is covered in chromatophores which allow it to change it's skin color to match any section off reef it moves to. Even the hard growths on the Sea Ghost are covered in a thin layer of skin, so they too can change color and pattern. The Sea Ghost's skin has another great camouflaging trick. It can stretch and manipulate it's skin to have almost any texture or protuberances it needs for each particular spot it rests on. The Sea Ghost's skin is much like some species of octopus, though it takes it a few steps farther. The coral like growths on the shoulders, spine, and other places, along with the sponge like growths on the back are all part of the animal, not actual coral or sponges. And even though the Sea Ghost has symmetry in it's camouflage, the other animals never seem to notice. And while most coral hobbyists will easily be able to tell the fake coral on the Sea Ghost is just that, fake. Animals don't notice that the Sea Ghosts evolution to mimic coral isn't perfect, but good enough to evade most all predators. With the gills of the animal located underneath like that of a sting ray, it will use the fake seapens jutting from it's shoulders for there second purpose. The feathery sea pen like structures make great camouflage, but they are also gills. So instead of kicking up sand with it's lower bottom gills when the Sea Ghost is laying on sandy areas, it can instead use the feathery gills on it's shoulders for oxygen.

[Kessant]

Artist: Kessant

Concept: Faiteal Crab
The Faiteal Crab is not categorized in the Crustacean family as its closer related to Chilopoda family that has adapted to an underwater environment. The retractable fins on the back of the Faiteal crab allows them to camouflage incredibly well into their environment. The fins themselves receive the surrounding lights and is then able to mimic the same colors to hide them in whatever lighting conditions. This unique property of the Crab helps surrounding species of fish to be sheltered from predators as well.

[Metal Fingers]

Artist: Metal Fingers

Concept: Coral Reef Caomoflauge

These large crustaceans, dubbed coral striders, are found amongst the deep ocean reefs. Slow moving and filter feeding, over time these large creatures accumulate pieces of the reef they inhabit amongst their chitinous plates while they wander the oceans floors. The longer they live, the more they seem to become wandering coral reefs themselves.

[scorge]

Artist: scorge

Concept: Coral Creeper
Despite its devious name and frightening appearance, this reclusive creature has adapted itself to mimic the colorful and mutli-textured world amongst the coral reefs. Somewhere between a rockfish and a salamander, the Creeper makes its way along the reefs, waiting for an easy meal. Its body has benefited from its ingestion of so many colorful fish and other reef organisms, thus producing a colorful and perfectly suited survivor for this type of environment. Many other creatures of the ocean can be found inhabiting the creepers body, its camouflage is so effective.

[Eph]

Artist: Eph

Concept: Bobbing Turtleshark(Chelonii Carnivorus)

The bobbing turtleshark (affectionately dubbed Bobs by researchers) employ several different types of camouflages to disorient their prey. Their ability to inflate themselves, and their light colors, makes it appear as if they are far away. They also have trunk growing from their body that can produce jets of air to propel them in various directions, and can use this ability to camouflage their movement.

[lkjhgfdsa]

Artist: Lkjhgfdsa

Concept: Efhnbisee
Slow moving multi gutted, multi mouthed crustaceaish critter

[Si_Swe]

Poll is up!

Close to Rejection

Daniel Hurd - Reason - Less than 3/4 of the creature is visible. Originally I had you as eliminated, I reconsidered since your creature's structure is serpentine. In the future, please show at least 3/4 of your creatures.