-If I asked you to think of a green animal, you might think of a chameleon.

Or if I asked you to think of a blue animal, you might say a butterfly or a macaw.

So many animals around the world have adapted to grow different-colored feathers, fur, and scales.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why these animals have such radiant colors?

What about the animals that are co vered in all kinds of colors, like coral reef fish, for example?

Hundreds of species flashing yellows, purples, oranges, and greens, with different patterns of stripes, spots, and shapes.

♪♪ [ Whimsical tune plays ] Today we're exploring some of the colorful coral reef fish here at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.

And we're going to have a chat to education specialist Luke and see if he can help us get to the bottom of our colorful question.

-Coral reef fish are so called, in part, because they live in a colorful environment and if you live in a colorful place, you've got to figure out how to either stick out when you want to be seen or camouflage when you don't want to be seen.

So, if you're trying to attract a mate or trying to reproduce, you want to be visible and be seen by the other fish.

If you want to camouflage, you want to hide from predators, you can go nestle into the red or blue or green coral and your red or blue or green color will allow you to blend in.

-This is all starting to make sense now.

Their color allows them to camouflage into the colorful coral and their color helps them to find a mate.

Hang on.

Does that mean that fish can see in color?

Do they see the coral reef the same way that we do?

-Fish can see in color.

Usually, they can see, maybe, a different range of colors than we can.

Some fish can see more colors than we can.

But in order to be able to see all the different signals they're sending to each other with all the flashy, exciting colors they have, they do have to be able to see in color.

-Well, there you have it -- turns out these jewels of the sea aren't just beautiful to look at.

They're very well-adapted to living that colorful, radiant coral reef lifestyle.