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 blend in 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 AgroCorrn article in which you will learn the names and main characteristics of +20 animals that camouflage themselves .
Index
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 live. This group includes cuttlefish (sepíidae), squid (teutidae) and octopus (octopods) , among which the genus Hapalochlaena stands out , 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 AgroCorrn post about The 10 Rarest Animals in Australia .
Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko
The striking satanic leaf-tailed gecko ( Uroplatus phantasticus ) is an arboreal species from 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 , 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 among 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 camouflage themselves in seas and oceans around the world, the leafy sea dragon ( Phycodurus eques ) 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 fox ( Vulpes lagopus ) is truly amazing. This species, related to wolves and other wild canids, lives throughout the terrestrial biome of tundras , located in North America and Eurasia.
During the winter months, at about -50 ºC, 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 the snow that surrounds you.
On the other hand, when spring arrives, its coat changes drastically in color , having a grayish-brown coloration and a lower density of hair, camouflaging itself with the scrub meadows that persist during the summer and early autumn.
Pink orchid mantis
The majestic pink orchid mantis ( Hymenopus coronatus ) is one of nature’s most amazing insects. It is hard to believe how it is able to completely camouflage itself with the orchids of the humid and warm regions of the jungles of Southeast Asia where it lives.
Its legs and other segments of its anatomy have the same colors as the orchid’s petals. It is really amazing how it gets to go unnoticed and the ability to stay without making any kind of movement, unhurriedly waiting for the visit of some absent-minded pollinator that falls between its legs.
Birch butterfly
The camouflage capacity of the birch butterfly ( Biston betularia ) has been studied for years, due to the process of evolution and adaptation to the environment that it has been undergoing.
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 its 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 continue to camouflage itself with the bark of the birch trunks , now blackened by industrial pollution.
More examples of animals that camouflage
To finish, here we leave more lists of names and images of animals that camouflage themselves to survive , either hiding to save themselves or to stalk and hunt a prey, and that are true experts:
Mammals that camouflage
- European brown bear ( Ursus arctos arctos ).
- Red-bellied squirrel ( Callosciurus erythraeus ).
- Arctic hare ( Lepus arcticus ).
- Leopard ( Panthera pardus ).
Birds that are camouflaged
- Eagle owl ( Bubo bubo ).
- Australian Podargo ( Podargus strigoides ).
- Yellow- naped green parrot ( Amazona auropalliata ).
- Scandinavian lagópod ( Lagopus lagopus ).
More marine animals camouflaging
- Soles (Family Soleidae).
- Stonefish ( Synanceia horrida ).
- Toadfish (Family Batrachoididae).
- Pygmy seahorse ( Hippocampus bargibanti ).
If these animals have seemed strange to you, you can learn more 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 Toad ( Megophrys 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 ).
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