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Aquatic Life Reflects the Pantone Color of the Year 2024

Take a deep breath. Let yourself relax and feel a moment of calm. Inspired by the Pantone Color of the Year 2024, Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, usher in the new year while “enjoying a moment of stillness and the feeling of sanctuary.”

From the cool blues of the water to the warm hues of coral that invite you in, the aquatic animal world is an enchanting escape from the hustle and bustle of life.

Pink, fleshy fronds of anemone wave in the water next to delicate, lace-like pink coral.

Bubbletip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)

Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz is described as “a velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul.” Just as calm colors can enhance your mood, getting lost in the whimsy and wonder of the underwater world can also bring about inner tranquility and peace, both mentally and physically.

According to a study by UC Davis published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, looking at a body of water can temporarily decrease heart rate and blood pressure and increase feelings of relaxation. Hence why in potentially stressful environments like the doctor’s office, you may see a habitat with aquatic life to introduce soothing and uplifting energy to the space.

The 2024 Pantone Color of the Year aims to do the same with inviting and “comforting” undertones.

A peach fairy basslet fish swims through the water.

Peach fairy basslet (Nemanthias dispar)

The peach fairy basslet (Nemanthias dispar) embodies the Pantone Color of the Year 2024 in both its name and look. The vibrant color of this small fish, also referred to as anthias, brings a warmth to the steep outer reef slopes in the eastern Indian and central Pacific Oceans where the species lives. The males are generally more colorful than the females and use their spectacular hues to attract mates. Watch the peach fairy basslet gracefully weave among the corals in Wild Reef.

A small pink fish swims among fronds of anemone.

Pink anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion)

A bubbletip anemone in its habitat.

Bubbletip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)

A variety of anemones, like the bubbletip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor), perfectly showcase Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz in their own imperfect ways, like living blossoms in shades of whimsical peach pastels. The bubbletip anemone can have a symbiotic relationship with anemonefish like the pink anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion) that lives in Wild Reef, like a “welcoming embrace” that the 2024 Pantone Color of the Year represents.

Clusters of coral polyps form round clusters almost like flowers.

Branching hammer coral (Fimbriaphyllia paraancora)

Many branching arms of coral, orange with pink tips.

Pink cauliflower coral (Stylophora pistillata)

The branching hammer coral (Fimbriaphyllia paraancora) and pink cauliflower coral (Stylophora pistillata) captivate in peachy pink shades reminiscent of Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz. Their intricate patterns and delicate branching structures are often mistaken for plants, but corals are animals made up of millions of individual polyps, each with a mouth and stomach. New corals grow and divide to create stunning, diverse coral reefs. 

Coral reefs host a kaleidoscope of marine life, filled with biodiversity that adds to the corals’ aesthetic beauty. Though they only cover 1% of the ocean floor, coral reefs create a home for over 25% of all ocean animals, representing the sense of community that Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz aims to envoke.

In this new year, remember to cherish the still moments and find a sense of calm and comfort from animals at the aquarium and colors like Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz.