PLANET EARTH Shallow Seas

And on this reef the snakes do not hunt alone. Shoals of yellow goatfish（绯鲵鲣） and trivali are seeking similar prey, and they attract the snakes' attention. As one group of hunters searches the reef they're joined by the other. At least thirty snakes have now joined the caravan. The big fish scare the prey into cracks and there the snakes can catch them And anything fleeing from the crates will swim straight into the mouths of the waiting trivali.



There's nowhere to hide. As the raiders scour the reef, more and more snakes join the hunt. This cooperation between snakes and fish, spectacular though it is, has only recently been observed, for it only happens on the most remote reefs in Indonesia. Perhaps such hunting alliances were once a common sight but today no more than six percent of Indonesia's reefs are in their pristine state（原始状态）.



Beyond the coral stretches a world of shifting sand（飞沙）. Out there with nowhere to hide survival is not easy and camouflage（伪装） can be crucial. If this wasn't moving, you might think it was a shell or a rock. In fact it's an octopus. A gurnard（鲂鱼）. It's huge pectoral fins（胸鳍） disguise（伪装） it's shape and they can also help in clearing away sand when searching for food.