Camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier, and the leaf-mimic katydid's wings.
In Our Story
Roz gets to be a filthy mess. Then, she notices a stick-like insect on a tree branch. Roz recognizes the insect’s camouflage –looking like a stick –helps it to survive. She hopes that camouflage will also help her to survive.
Roz’s desire to stay alive is stronger than her desire to stay clean. She covers herself with mud, grass, ferns, and other plants. She camouflages herself as clumps of seaweed, meadow flowers, and fallen logs to quietly observe and learn from the flora and fauna. The camouflage makes her look like a part of the landscape. Blending in, she nestles into a clearing in the woods. Week by week, Roz disguises herself as a different kind of landscape and hides somewhere else.
Roz’s camouflage allows her to study the island around her, from spiders spinning their webs to turtles plopping into ponds to caterpillars becoming butterflies.
Clever Camo Creatures
Many animals are masters of camouflage. When it comes to protecting themselves, reptiles, birds, insects, and a range of other species are often able to blend in almost seamlessly with their surroundings.
Arctic Hare
The arctic hare lives in the harsh environment of the North American tundra. These hares do not hibernate, but survive the dangerous cold with a number of behavioral and physiological adaptations.
In winter, they sport a brilliant white coat that provides excellent camouflage in the land of ice and snow. In spring, the hare's colors change to blue-gray in approximation of local rocks and vegetation.
Moth
Moths use subtle color and pattern changes to blend in with their surroundings, just like the practically invisible one in this photo. They often gravitate to natural structures, like tree bark or leaves, to hide. One 2012 study even found they actively seek out the best positioning to increase invisibility. Pretty clever!!
Pygmy Seahorse
Pygmy seahorses survive by using their long tails to attach themselves to soft corals or sea fans. They have the extraordinary ability to match their host’s bright color and rough texture. Often, they blend in so seamlessly that even trained scientists have trouble spotting them.
Owl
Most owls are nocturnal, only hunting for prey under the cover of darkness. During the day, they shield themselves from predators by mimicking the coloration and sometimes even the texture patterns of their surroundings. Can you spot the owl?
Stick Insect
This is just an ordinary branch on an ordinary plant, right? Actually, that twig-like thing in the center is known as a stick bug. Their natural camouflage makes them difficult for predators to detect among trees.
Leaf tailed Gecko
How does this guy blend in with this environment so well? Leaf-tailed geckos, which are native to the island of Madagascar, have the ability to replicate the colors of their surroundings, as well as the shapes and vegetation of the forests they live in. They are also able to flatten their bodies against various surfaces, which helps them disguise themselves among dry leaves or the bark of trees.
Snow Leopards
Snow leopards usually inhabit steep cliff areas and rocky ravines. They are known for having thick white, yellowish or soft gray coats with black spotting. The patterned fur allows these stealthy animals to become nearly invisible in their natural habitats, hiding them from potential prey and making them notoriously difficult for photographers to capture. They’re beautiful animals but petting one would probably not be recommended.
Octopus
Take a closer look at the picture and you’ll see there’s actually an octopus in there. These beautiful creatures use camouflage when hunting and when avoiding predators. To do this, they use specialized skin cells known as chromatophores, which change the appearance of the skin by adjusting color, opacity and reflectivity
Baron Caterpillar
This image may look just like an ordinary leaf. But if you look really, really closely, you’ll spot a well-camouflaged caterpillar resting on it. The baron caterpillar is a species typically found in India and Southeast Asia that feeds on mango and cashew trees.
Chameleon
These colorful lizards are known for their ability to change their color; their long, sticky tongue; and their eyes, which can be moved independently of each other.
Chameleons spend their life in trees and bushes. Most lizards have five toes, but the chameleon's five toes are modified into groups: on the forefoot, the two outside toes are joined to form one group, and the three inside toes form another; the hind foot has the opposite arrangement. This allows them to grasp branches just like our thumbs and fingers can grasp objects.
The chameleon's tail also helps with life up high: most have a prehensile tail that can wrap around tree branches while climbing.
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