Octopus

The true chameleon of the reef ecosystem is the octopus, capable of frequently changing color, shape, and behavior.  This common octopus was out of its den, being followed by a bar jack that was hoping for the octopus to scare some prey species up into the water column.  It crawled for a while, then swam back to this little coral rock patch.

While swimming it was mostly white with brown stripes, once it landed on the rock it took on a reticulated pattern, then the webbing between its tentacles blushed pale blue for an instant.  Quite amazing to watch. It was about 24 inches and these photos were taken at a depth of about 15 feet.

This last photo is a shot of another octopus, all snuggled down in its den, at the same dive site.