Ultra-black skin allows some fish to lurk unseen. Duke Today, July 16, 2020. Scientists report that at least 16 species of deep-sea fish have evolved ultra-black skin that absorbs more than 99.5% of the light that hits them, making them nearly impossible to pick out from the shadows. Picked by The New York Times, WIRED, Newsweek, Science News, Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, Ars Technica, Popular Science, Gizmodo, CNN and Reuters.