Countershading Countershading Hey hoss. So, let's talk about countershading. It's a lot like camoflauge.
Many marine animals show it with dark dorsal surfaces and lighter ventral surfaces.
For those of you who don't understand, that means when you look down over the dark back of the animal, it appears to blend in with the dark water below. And when you look up at the light front of the animal, it appears to blend in with the sky. So fish appear invisible. This is most helpful for slow bottomfish. When fish are able to change color to match their background its called cryptic coloration.