For a leatherback turtle, early camouflage as a life-saver … literally!

After hatching, these turtles are tiny and susceptible to nearby predators. To increase their chance of survival, babies need to stay camouflaged as they make their way to the ocean for their first swim.

“Wo” – that’s good camouflage!

The Wobbegong Shark is a bottom dweller in the South Pacific and might be considered one of the masters of camouflage. This species is generally considered to be harmless, but don’t get too close because these creatures like to be left alone!

We see a …

Sea cucumber from the South Pacific! This creature blends in seamlessly to its surroundings, making it difficult for predators to spot. While this creature has darker shades to help it camouflage, other species of sea cucumbers can actually be quite colorful.

This sea creature might look easy to spot with those vibrant colors …

But from far away, the scorpion fish can be difficult to see! With an abundance of biodiversity in West Papua, there are various species of scorpion fish that come in differing shapes, sizes, and colors.

This week … we’re going to give you a glimpse of some excellently camouflaged creatures …

Starting with these petite pygmy seahorses! The pygmy is also unique in using their pouch (not tail) to brood their offspring – different from many other species of seahorses.

No – this isn’t another nudibranch post!

This sea creature – often mistaken for a nudibranch – is known as a flatworm, local to the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. These curious, yet strange, looking creatures can also be found in the IMAX film #JourneytotheSouthPacific .

Out of nearly 200 species of eels, this marine creature is the Moray Eel – local to Raja Ampat in West Papua …

These eels, along with many others, have razor-sharp teeth and love to snack on smaller marine life such as crustaceans, octopus, squid, and more.

Just when you thought the nudibranch couldn’t get more interesting ….

This camouflaged critter can gain its coloring from its food source. That’s right! Nudibranch can even utilize poisons from its prey to re-use them as a defense against their own predators! #WestPapua

Meet the barrel sponge!

Native to tropical waters like West Papua in the South Pacific Ocean, the barrel sponge has earned itself the nickname “redwood of the reef” for its size and lifespan. In fact, these sea creatures can live to be over 2,000 years old!! 👀 #WestPapua

This filter feeder loves to hangout at the surface!

Whale sharks are known to be slow-moving, friendly sea creatures with a particular love for snacking on plankton. As a filter feeder, whale sharks usually scoop up as much tiny prey as they can to sustain their large body size.

These beautiful, colorful sea creatures are lionfish!

Native to the South Pacific, lionfish can be found in Raja Ampat located in West Papua. Learn more about these stunning marine animals in #JourneytotheSouthPacific .

Raja Ampat is home to an adorable marine creature with the name to match!

This is a bubble-tip anemone – found in the West Papua area in the South Pacific Ocean. These rounded creatures look just like a cartoon and rest well below the water’s surface.

Guess the creature …. 🥒

Yup – It’s a sea cucumber! These unique marine animals get their name from their distinctive cucumber-life shape. Interestingly, sea cucumbers move and eat with their tentacle, tube feet.

#MarineLife #SeaCreatures #OceanLovers #SeaCucumbers

It’s hard to believe that this baby leatherback turtle will grow to become one of the largest sea turtle species in the ocean …

After hatching and reaching their salty home, baby leatherbacks snack on lots of zooplankton to grow into their adult size!

We spy …

Flatworms! These creatures are hermaphrodites and don’t experience any phases of metamorphosis over their lifetime. In fact, young flatworms can only be differentiated from their adult counterparts by their smaller size. Neat!

#EarthDay #WestPapua #RajaAmpat

We never get tired of seeing the natural beauty of the ocean …

From shots of the coral reef to the abundance of fish that thrive in this ecosystem, the South Pacific Ocean is a fantastic place to celebrate the iconic creatures of the sea.

#JourneytotheSouthPacific

Hello from a Hawksbill Turtle!

These unique turtles get their name from their iconic beak-like mouth – which is similar to that of a hawk. This tough beak helps the turtles snag food in hard-to-reach places, including one of their favorite snacks – sea sponge!

#JourneytotheSouthPacific will stun you with the vibrant colors under the surface ….

And be sure not to underestimate the beauty and presence of sea anemone! These stunning creatures are local to the tropical islands in West Papua in the South Pacific Ocean.

It's a nudibranch!

These creatures can vary in all types of colors, shapes, sizes, textures, and more – making them an extremely unique and fascinating species. From the size of a grain of rice to the size of your arm, these marine creatures are incredibly interesting to view.

Meet the lionfish!

This infamous fish is known as a top predator in the waters of the South Pacific and is easily recognizable for their brown, maroon, and white stripes. With no known predators and the ability to reproduce year-round, lionfish could take over the reefs!