The purpose of camoflage is to breakup or distort the body outline(concealment or confusion) making it visualy hard to recognise.Where humans may have minutes to realize what a camoflaged object is fish can have less than a tenth of a second to recognise the object.
Polypterids exhibit coloration known as counter shading which means they have dark dorsal and sides and light ventral area.With this color scheme any prey/predatorlooking down on the polypterid will see a dark object on the bottom making them hard to recognize or detect.conversely any prey/predator looking up at a swimming polypterid will see the light ventral surface backlight against the background of the waters surface lit by either the sun or the moon.Making them hard to detect.
POLYPTERIDS WITH VERTICAL STRIPES
P.endlicheri endlicheri*(see note)
P.endlicheri congicus
P.delhezi
P.weeksii
Vertical black or white stripes break up the outlines of the body and make it hard for predators/prey recognize.while the light base body color allows the above mentioned species to blend into the sandy orlight colored bottom.
POLYPTERIDS WITH MOTTLED COLORATION
P.palmas palmas
P.palmas polli
P.palmas buettikoferi
P.retropinnis
P.mokelembembe
P.teugelsi
This is visually disruptive.The meandering lines of the mottled body pattern helps hide the contour (the outline) of the body.When fish look at a fish of mottled coloration in a matching environment,their brain naturally "connects" the lines of the colored blotches with the lines of the trees, the bottom,leaves and shadows.This affects the way they perceive and recognize the object.
POLYPTERIDS WITH HORIZONTAL STRIPES
P.bichir bichir
P.bichir lapradei
P.ansorgii
Horizontal green lines mixed into vertical green lines makes the object invisible for all intents add the green mottled markings and you have perfect camoflage for tall grasses and weed beds
POLYPTERIDS WITH SOLID COLORATION
P.ornatipinnis brown/yellow spots
P.senegalus
E.calabaricus
The yellow dappled spots against the overall brown dorsal surface of the P.ornatipinnis would resemble sun or moonlight on a submerged piece of wood.Also the dark body color would make the P.ornatipinnis virtually invisible to prey fish at night.
The overall green to grey dorsal surface of the P.senegalus much like the Polypterids with horzontal stripes would be almost invisible lurking in weed beds and the grey would resemble rock or submerged piece of wood.
the overall greenish brown dorsal and side surface of E.calabaricus would easily blend into a bottom littered with leaf debris and submerged wood-Anne
*Note Comparing the food of Polypterus endlicheri and
Polypterus senegalus, it can be seen that they have
the same food preferences, which mean there
should be competition between them since they are sympatric.
However, the account of the fishermen that catches the fish indicates that Polyplerus senegalus are found close to the shore while Polypterus endlicheri are caught mainly offshore,thus utilizing the food in different zones of the lakes.
AMINU RAJI; ARMED K SAIDU; AHMEI) T. MARYAM.
FEDERAL COLLEGE OF FRESHWATER FISHERIES TECHNOLOGY BAGA
PREUMNARY STUDES ON FOOD AND FEEDNG HABiTS OF POLYPTERUS ENDLICHERI AND
POLYPTERUS SENEGALUS IN LAKE CHAD
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/education/Adapt/Adapt.htm
http://student.britannica.com/compto...le-200753/fish
http://science.howstuffworks.com/mil...amouflage1.htm
http://www.andhranews.net/Technology...lage-84328.asp
Panzer Colors Culver,Murphy Squadron/signal publications
Polypterids exhibit coloration known as counter shading which means they have dark dorsal and sides and light ventral area.With this color scheme any prey/predatorlooking down on the polypterid will see a dark object on the bottom making them hard to recognize or detect.conversely any prey/predator looking up at a swimming polypterid will see the light ventral surface backlight against the background of the waters surface lit by either the sun or the moon.Making them hard to detect.
POLYPTERIDS WITH VERTICAL STRIPES
P.endlicheri endlicheri*(see note)
P.endlicheri congicus
P.delhezi
P.weeksii
Vertical black or white stripes break up the outlines of the body and make it hard for predators/prey recognize.while the light base body color allows the above mentioned species to blend into the sandy orlight colored bottom.
POLYPTERIDS WITH MOTTLED COLORATION
P.palmas palmas
P.palmas polli
P.palmas buettikoferi
P.retropinnis
P.mokelembembe
P.teugelsi
This is visually disruptive.The meandering lines of the mottled body pattern helps hide the contour (the outline) of the body.When fish look at a fish of mottled coloration in a matching environment,their brain naturally "connects" the lines of the colored blotches with the lines of the trees, the bottom,leaves and shadows.This affects the way they perceive and recognize the object.
POLYPTERIDS WITH HORIZONTAL STRIPES
P.bichir bichir
P.bichir lapradei
P.ansorgii
Horizontal green lines mixed into vertical green lines makes the object invisible for all intents add the green mottled markings and you have perfect camoflage for tall grasses and weed beds
POLYPTERIDS WITH SOLID COLORATION
P.ornatipinnis brown/yellow spots
P.senegalus
E.calabaricus
The yellow dappled spots against the overall brown dorsal surface of the P.ornatipinnis would resemble sun or moonlight on a submerged piece of wood.Also the dark body color would make the P.ornatipinnis virtually invisible to prey fish at night.
The overall green to grey dorsal surface of the P.senegalus much like the Polypterids with horzontal stripes would be almost invisible lurking in weed beds and the grey would resemble rock or submerged piece of wood.
the overall greenish brown dorsal and side surface of E.calabaricus would easily blend into a bottom littered with leaf debris and submerged wood-Anne
*Note Comparing the food of Polypterus endlicheri and
Polypterus senegalus, it can be seen that they have
the same food preferences, which mean there
should be competition between them since they are sympatric.
However, the account of the fishermen that catches the fish indicates that Polyplerus senegalus are found close to the shore while Polypterus endlicheri are caught mainly offshore,thus utilizing the food in different zones of the lakes.
AMINU RAJI; ARMED K SAIDU; AHMEI) T. MARYAM.
FEDERAL COLLEGE OF FRESHWATER FISHERIES TECHNOLOGY BAGA
PREUMNARY STUDES ON FOOD AND FEEDNG HABiTS OF POLYPTERUS ENDLICHERI AND
POLYPTERUS SENEGALUS IN LAKE CHAD
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/education/Adapt/Adapt.htm
http://student.britannica.com/compto...le-200753/fish
http://science.howstuffworks.com/mil...amouflage1.htm
http://www.andhranews.net/Technology...lage-84328.asp
Panzer Colors Culver,Murphy Squadron/signal publications
