Ornate Ghost Pipefish

Photo: terence zahner · CC BY-NC

Ornate ghost pipefish are masters of camouflage, mimicking the feathery arms of crinoids so precisely that even experienced divers overlook them. They drift vertically, head down, swaying with their crinoid host in the current. Unlike true pipefish, the female carries eggs in a brood pouch formed by fused pelvic fins — an unusual reversal of the norm within their group. They appear at Apo Island's shallow reefs seasonally when crinoid populations peak, typically during the clearer dry season months.