Mandarin Dragonet
(Synchiropus splendidus)

Found in the shallow coral reefs of the Pacific, the Mandarin Dragonet is widely considered one of the most beautiful fish in the ocean, covered in intricate swirling patterns of electric blue, orange, and green. Unusually, its colour comes not from scattered light but from cells containing actual blue pigment — a trait extraordinarily rare in vertebrates, most of which produce blue colouration through light scattering alone!