Masters of Disguise
Read the information below (and then use additional resources as needed) to complete your Masters of Disguise side quest handout.
Types of Camouflage
Traits are inherited and some traits make it easier for living things to survive and reproduce. Camouflage is a trait that makes it very hard to see an animal in its natural habitat, making it an important part of their survival. It hides the animal from its predators, while at the same time making the animal a sneaky predator itself. An animal that is best camouflaged in its environment has the best chance to survive, reproduce, and pass its color pattern on. There are three types of camouflage: mimicry, concealing coloration, and disruptive coloration.
Mimicry
Mimicry is when an organism copies or mimics the form of something else in order to blend in to its environment. Two great examples of mimicry are a stick bug on a branch or a viceroy butterfly pretending to be a unsavory monarch.
Concealing Camouflage
Organisms that hide themselves by blending in with their background use concealing coloration. An arctic hare and ptarmigan use concealing coloration by changing their colors with the seasons – white in winter, brown in spring/summer.
Disruptive Coloration
If an organism’s color is broken up with a pattern like stripes or spots, then they are using disruptive coloration. This type of camouflage confuses or conceals when alone or in a group, like leopards, tigers, jaguars who have spots and stripes that mimic shadows to help them blend into the forest and grasslands.
Additional Resources
12 Coolest Camouflaged Animals & Insects
Watch this video for more examples of camouflage in animals & insects!
Mimicry: A world of Imposters
Watch this video for more information and examples of mimicry.
Can you find all 10 hidden animals?
This video will show you 10 different images with camouflaged animals. You will have 20 seconds to try to find each organism!