One thing I just learned is that a LOT of deep sea creatures aren’t coloured black, but red: Red blends in so well in dark water that it APPEARS dark or invisible. In short, Ariel looks bald to other mermaids.
She wouldn’t look bald, but you know that scene where she is singing through the hole in the coral and reaching up?
In deep enough water she would have just been eyes and teeth and then a long skinny hand stretching out.
Also the reason that red is such a hot ticket item is that relatively few deep sea predators produce red light, and without that wavelength red colored prey is near invisible. There are a lot of red colored prey animals, and there’s some great video out there on how bioluminescence and photophores factor into hunting/hiding/finding mates in the deep sea of you’re interested in learning more.
It’s kind of similar to why you should wear dark blue or green when you’re hiding in the woods at night instead of Black. Black would make your outline and body shape more visible than if you’re hiding wearing dark blue or green, and with an irregular pattern you’re even more invisible bc itll break up your silhouette.
In deep enough water she would have just been eyes and teeth and then a long skinny hand stretching out.
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