Coral reefs are home to many amazing creatures, and the one this article features today has a big family, with many talented masters of disguise. This "family" is called the sea slugs  - a name commonly used to describe a set of gastropods that live in the sea.

Sea slugs are relatively similar to their terrestrial relatives, like snails and slugs. However, unlike the grayish body shades of their land kins, sea slugs have enormous variation in shape, color and size. The bright colors of some sea slugs often serve as a warning to other animals of their toxicity, acting as an effective self-defense technique to remain out of predators' sight.

According to experts, their body color majorly depends on what they consume. Usually, sea slugs feed on algae, and their body color gradually changes to match the color of the type of algae they eat. Some sea slugs even have tentacles or tubers that help them camouflage against predators.

More than 3,000 sea slugs are found worldwide, including tropical waters and the Antarctic.

About the 'Disguise in Nature' series

Camouflage and mimicry are two ways for creatures to disguise themselves. Disguises can either help them escape danger, or make them perfect predators when hunting.

In this series, we look at several species that are masters of disguise. For each story, there will be a game of hide-and-seek with the introduced species. 

Read more from the 'Disguise in Nature' series:

Disguise in Nature: The colorful 'kung fu masters'

Disguise in Nature: The 'ninja' in sea

Disguise in Nature: The forest's 'night hunter'

Disguise in Nature: The 'hermit' in rainforest

Disguise in Nature: A lively 'leaf' with legs

Disguise in Nature: A 'stone' with dangerous venom

(Cover image via VCG, designed by CGTN's Jia Jieqiong .)

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)