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Camouflage is, without a doubt, one of the most highly developed skills in the animal world. Both vertebrates and invertebrates make use of the camouflage technique to go unnoticed and be confused with the environment in which they live.
Whether they are tree trunks, leaves and branches of intense green, stones and rocks, as well as extensive layers of snow or even ocean floors and coral reefs; Animals are capable of camouflage, many of them do it to go unnoticed among their main predators and thus achieve greater survival success, while other animals use camouflage in the opposite direction, to be able to approach their prey without being seen and then attack them.
If you want to know more about the world of animal camouflage, keep reading this Green Ecologist article in which you will learn the names and main characteristics of +20 animals that camouflage themselves.
Blue ringed octopuses
Many cephalopods (mollusks that have their limbs attached to the head), are capable of camouflaging in an amazing way with the environment in which they inhabit. This group includes cuttlefish (sepíidae), squid (teutidae) and octopus (octopods), among which the genre stands out Hapalochlaena, commonly known as blue ringed octopuses.
Various species, all of them extremely poisonous and expert in camouflage, are distributed in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Their skin is yellowish and they go completely unnoticed between rocks and ocean floors, until they feel attacked when they come into contact with another animal, then they change color quickly and show their bright blue rings. This intense color is due to the presence of certain toxic bacteria, which release a powerful poison capable of killing up to 26 people in a few minutes.
Learn more about this amazing animal and other strangers in this other post from Green Ecologist about The 10 Weirdest Animals in Australia.
Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko
The surprising satanic leaf-tailed geckoUroplatus phantasticus) It is an arboreal species of the tropical forests of Madagascar. Belonging to the Lacertilia suborder, and they are related to lizards, iguanas and chameleons, the latter, recognized worldwide as the kings of camouflage.
Although the satanic leaf-tailed gecko is not far behind in terms of its camouflage techniques, one of the most sophisticated in the world of reptiles. It has a flattened tail whose appearance resembles that of a decomposing leaf. This allows it an optimal camouflage between the leaf litter of the trees among which it lives.
Find out more about this species and other interesting and rare ones in this other article of +13 endemic animals of Madagascar.
Leafy Sea Dragon
Among the incredible variety of fish that are camouflaged in seas and oceans around the world, the leafy sea dragonPhycodurus eques) It is one of the most striking.
Belonging to the same family as seahorses, the leafy sea dragon is characterized by the presence throughout its body of strange and long extensions that it uses, like fins, for its propulsion and movement between the waters of southwestern Australia in which it lives. These fins have a leafy appearance and are practically transparent, which guarantees perfect camouflage and the appearance of floating algae.
Arctic polar fox
The "seasonal camouflage" of the arctic polar foxVulpes lagopus) it's really amazing. This species, related to wolves and other wild canids, inhabits the length and breadth of the terrestrial biome of tundras, located in North America and Eurasia.
During the winter months, at around -50 ° C, the Arctic polar fox has a thick white fur that allows it to survive low temperatures, as well as go unnoticed by its prey and get close to them, walking on the ice and snow that surrounds it.
Instead, when spring comes, their fur drastically changes color, having a grayish-brown color and lower density of hair, camouflaging with the scrub meadows that persist during the summer and early autumn.
Pink orchid mantis
The majestic pink orchid mantisHymenopus coronatus) it is one of the most amazing insects in nature. It's hard to believe how capable of completely camouflage with orchids of the humid and warm regions of the jungles of Southeast Asia in which it inhabits.
Its legs and other segments of its anatomy have the same colors as the petals of the orchid. It is really amazing how it gets to go unnoticed and the ability to stay without making any kind of movement, waiting unhurriedly, the visit of some absent-minded pollinator that falls between its legs.
Birch butterfly
The camouflage ability of the birch butterflyBiston betularia) has been studied for years, due to the process of evolution and adaptation to the environment that has been suffering.
Before the Industrial Revolution, the butterflies of this species were whitish in color, which allowed it an optimal camouflage with the bark of birch trees in which it was protected from predators. Later, due to the pollution and emission of coal dust that reached the birch forests of England in which the butterflies lived, they evolved little by little until their wings now had a darker color, to be able to follow, continue camouflaging with the bark of the trunk of the birch trees, now blackened by industrial pollution.
More examples of animals that camouflage
To finish, here we leave more lists of names and pictures of animals that camouflage themselves to survive, either hiding to save themselves or stalking and hunting prey, and they are true experts:
Mammals that camouflage
- European brown bearUrsus arctos arctos).
- Red-bellied squirrelCallosciurus erythraeus).
- Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus).
- Leopard (Panthera pardus).
Birds that are camouflaged
- Royal Owl (Bubo bubo).
- Australian podargo (Podargus strigoids).
- Yellow-naped green parrot (Amazona auropalliata).
- Scandinavian lagópod (Lagopus lagopus).
More marine animals camouflaged
- Soles (Family Soleidae).
- Stone fishSynanceia horrida).
- Toadfish (Family Batrachoididae).
- Pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti).
If these animals have seemed strange to you, you can learn more information and see more images of 20 rare marine animals in danger of extinction.
Reptiles and amphibians that use camouflage
- Chameleon (Family Chamaeleonidae).
- Alligator (Family Alligatoridae).
- Horned leaf toadMegophrys nasuta).
- Chifre Toad (Proceratophrys laticeps).
Invertebrates that camouflage
- Stick and leaf insects (Order Phasmida).
- Caterpillars (Euthalia monina, Macaria granitata and Hypomecis roboraria).
- Wolf spider (Lycosa tarantula).
Learn more about animals without skeletons in this other article about +20 curiosities of invertebrate animals.
If you want to read more articles similar to +20 animals that camouflage themselves, we recommend that you enter our category of Animal Curiosities.
Bibliography- Drafting team (10/23/2017) Animals experts in camouflage. Magazine Lists 20 Minutes, Animals. Recovered from https://listas.20minutos.es
- Hernández, B. C. (2022) Ecosystems and the camouflage of living beings. Faculty of Education, University of La Laguna, pp: 16-25.
- González, J. & Gómez, F. J. (2016) Deceiving on-off cells: historical evolution of our understanding of the way animals camouflage themselves. Dialnet Foundation, Vol. 91 (5), pp: 1043-1046.
