Photo of the Day 201

Multicolored Reef, Tukangbesi Islands, Indonesia, 2005

Photograph by Tim Laman

Layers of coral, sea fans, crinoids, and sponges make up a healthy reef off Indonesia's Tukangbesi Islands. Lighted by a photographer's strobe, this scene would explode in brilliant colors, but in natural light, it looks altogether different. Scientists are studying how wavelengths of light change at depth and how fish perceive these colors.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: Why Are Coral Reefs So Colorful?" May 2005, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 177

Clown Triggerfish, Tukangbesi Islands, Indonesia, 2005

Photograph by Tim Laman

Found in coral-rich seaweed reefs in the Pacific Ocean, clown triggerfish, such as this patterned juvenile in Indonesia's Tukangbesi Islands, are master predators. The fish blow streams of water at the sand to expose hiding prey, then use their powerful jaws and rows of sharp teeth to crush through hard-shelled reef creatures such as sea urchins, clams, snails, and crabs.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: Why Are Coral Reefs So Colorful?" May 2005, National Geographic magazine)