When a night diver dipped into the waters off Komodo island, Indonesia, he saw what looked like a living piece of algae slither towards him. It was a predator in disguise: a marine file snake.
“One of my favourite features of the marine file snake is its unique camouflage,” says underwater videographer John Roney on Instagram. "Its rough skin traps algae, giving it a green, mottled appearance that blends perfectly with mangroves and seagrass.”
Although marine file snakes aren’t a true sea snake, they are fully aquatic.
These serpents are so slow-moving that algae settles on their skin, providing them with a unique form of camouflage, he says: “This coating forms because the snake spends long periods motionless, waiting to ambush passing fish.”
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Image and video credit: John Roney | @roneydives
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