Camouflage

Camouflage is the act of an animal having a specific appearance that makes it hard to see. Camouflage can be useful to all sorts of animals.

• Prey animals can use camouflage to hide from predators who want to eat them
• Predator animals can use camouflage to either ambush their prey, or to stalk them.

There are many different kinds of camouflage in the animal kingdom.

 Memesis  The Animal resembles something not of interest to another animal. This can be used by both predator and prey animals.

• Stick Bugs (have the color, shape and texture of a stick, letting them easily avoid detection from birds)
• Flower Mantis (resembles orchid flowers, allowing it to easily ambush it’s prey)

Concealing Coloration,  color and patterns resemble the environment that they live in

• Bearded Dragons (these lizards live in the barren Australian outback and have brown and tan scales )
• White’s Tree Frog. (These little frogs live in the lush rain forest and have green skin)

Disruptive Coloration. These animals have marks that act as a sharp contrast that trick the eye into not seeing the outline of the animal.

• Leopards (their spots break up their outline, allow them to successfully stalk and hunt other animals)
• Tigers (their long black stripes, can trick the eye into thinking they’re the shadows of long blades of grass)