One octopus can impersonate a sea snake, a lionfish and a flatfish — and switch fast

Discovered in Indonesian waters in 1998, the mimic octopus doesn't just camouflage — it reshapes its body and movement to imitate the exact silhouette and swimming style of dangerous animals sharing its habitat, deterring predators that would otherwise eat it. Most animal mimics copy one species; this one switches between several depending on the threat.

— Mark D. Norman and F.G. Hochberg, A New Octopus Species from the Tropical Indo-West Pacific — 2005 species description

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