Cockatoo Waspfish

Photo: Sue Churchill · CC BY-NC

Cockatoo waspfish rest on the Zero's wings and fuselage, rocking from side to side in a leaf-mimicking behavior that makes them nearly invisible among debris and sediment. They are venomous ambush predators, striking small shrimp and fish that mistake them for harmless detritus, and their unusual rocking display appears to function both as camouflage enhancement and as a behavioral strategy to confuse prey about whether the object they see is animate or inanimate.