Simon Brandl is a fish ecologist who studies the ecology, evolution, and functional role of fishes. He is particularly interested in some of the most common, but difficult to see fish known as “cryptobenthic fishes”, or just “cryptos.” These fishes, such as gobies and blennies, are small and live on the bottom of many ecosystems, such as coral reefs or the local oyster reefs. While they are often overlooked, they are extremely abundant in tropical coastal ecosystems worldwide, account for almost 1/10 of all vertebrate diversity on Earth, and feed many of the larger species we care about. Insight into these types of fish will help researchers better understand the role fish have in marine ecosystems.