My juvenile betta antuta has a "🙂" that appears on its chin if I accidentally startle it before feeding time.
Does anyone know if all bettas are able to change coloration at the drop of a dime? It seems to be the same mechanism that allows regular bettas to have stress lines, although I always assumed stress lines fade in over a minute or so at the fastest. But this smiley faced fear response happens in the blink of an eye.
There isn't much documentation of betta antutas online and I haven't found anything about this oddity.
https://v.redd.it/luq6vqx50uae1
Posted by DeChalupa
6 Comments
I love that his pattern looks like a smaller fish
What a goofy boy. Never kept an antuta but it’s not at all uncommon for all kinds of animals to flash colors under stress.
Love that little face with the goofy teeth on his nose lol
What!? I’ve never seen a betta with patterns on its mouth! Let alone a smiley face! So cute!
❤️❤️❤️!!!
I thought that was a pea puffer for a moment. Nice fish!