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Goby and Bubble Coral, Indonesia, 2005

A goby fish with brilliant orange streaks stands out on a bit of gray bubble coral in Maumere Bay off Indonesia's Flores Island. In most of the ocean, turbid or murky waters force creatures to use nonvisual means of communication—smell, taste, touch, and sound. But in the clear, sunlit waters of coral reefs, light abounds, vision predominates, and animals drape themselves in blazing color.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish," May 2005, National Geographic magazine)

Photograph by Tim Laman