These images of flounders come from an early 20th-century study published in 1911 in the Journal of Experimental Zoology by American zoologist Francis Bertody Sumner. Working between research stations in Naples, Italy, and Woods Hole, US, he tested how flounders adapt their appearance when placed on sharply contrasting, artificial-looking backgrounds designed to challenge their camouflage.
Sumner photographed the fish as they gradually shifted color and pattern to blend into each new setting, documenting the process as it unfolded. Among the species he observed, Rhomboidichthys podas showed particularly strong adaptive camouflage compared to the others.
Although the photos were limited to black and white, that constraint ultimately gives them an unexpected graphic quality. What was originally strict biological research now looks oddly modern, with the fish patterns reading almost like abstract design studies. My personal favorites are the checkered fish.
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