Crocodilefish

Crocodilefish are the reef's invisible predators — flat-bodied flatheads up to a metre long with elaborate frilled eyes that look like miniature coral fans. They lie motionless for hours on sand, rubble or coral, swallowing small fish that swim too close.

They're entirely harmless to divers but easy to overlook — most are spotted by the dive guide pointing at what looks like a slightly textured patch of sand. Their cryptic colouration is precisely tuned to whatever substrate they're resting on.

Common throughout the Indo-Pacific — Bali, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Lembeh, Anilao, Sipadan, Maldives. Easier to find at dawn before they've fully settled into camouflage.