The mimic octopus can take on the forms of a lionfish, a jellyfish, a shrimp, a crab, and more than ten other animals. But now a jawfish in Indonesia has been filmed one-upping the marine master of disguise—it mimics the mimic octopus.
Jawfish normally stay hidden in ocean burrows, avoiding predators. “I’ve never seen one swimming in the open,” Rocha said.
But the jawfish in the video, wiggling its body “almost like a tentacle,” closely follows the mimic octopus for at least a quarter of an hour—filming was cut short after 15 minutes, when Kopp had to come up for air.
The fish probably stuck close to the octopus—which didn’t seem to notice its “hitchhiker”—to take advantage of the camouflage while looking for food or a new burrow. But the researchers don’t yet know which.
They’re also not sure whether the event is a one-off or whether the jawfish “does that every time” an octopus comes by, Rocha said.
