This ability to blend in has the obvious benefit of helping to avoid being eaten or, as is the case with predators such as leopards, to help avoid detection so that they can get closer to their prey.
Leopards are regarded as being amongst the best camouflaged African predators. Coupled with their stealth and cunning, this makes them incredibly successful hunters.
Apart from escaping visual detection, camouflage may also help in other ways.
-Protect and enhance habitat for the wildlife on your farm
Although a zebra’s stripes at first glance appear to make the animal easily visible (at least to the human eye), a theory has been suggested that once a predator begins chasing a herd, the ‘dazzle’ effect of a number of zebras’ stripes may confuse the predator and give the zebra a greater chance of escaping.
Invertebrates are amongst the best camouflaged organisms on Earth. Some well-known examples are leaf-mimicking butterflies and praying mantids that resemble flowers to escape detection. The robber fly, for example – a voracious predator on other aerial insects – blends in remarkably well with its immediate environment.
The antlion is another beautiful example of the remarkable degree of camouflage some animals resort to in order to escape detection.
Behaviour and camouflage go hand-in-hand – keeping still greatly assists and increases the effectiveness of camouflage as most predators are quick to detect movement. As long as the prey animal remains stationary, it has a higher chance of not being discovered by a potential predator.
Toadhoppers, for example, are very difficult to spot unless they actually move. And unlike most grasshoppers that will fly off at the first inkling of danger, these fascinating creatures do just what their name implies – they hop off much like a toad would do because they’ve lost the ability to fly! Despite their excellent camouflage, toadhoppers still fall prey to a wide variety of predators, from birds like shrikes, to jackals and scorpions.
Camouflage is a type of coloration or pattern that helps an animal blend in with its surroundings. It is common among invertebrates, including some species of octopus and squid, along with a variety of other animals. Camouflage is often used by prey as a way to disguise themselves from predators. It is also used by predators to conceal themselves as they stalk their prey. Concealing coloration allows an animal to blend into its environment, hiding it from predators. Some animals have fixed camouflage, such as snowy owls and polar bears, whose white coloration helps them blend in with the Arctic snow. Other animals can change their camouflage at will based on where they are. For example, marine creatures such as flatfish and stonefish can alter their coloration to blend in with surrounding sand and rock formations. This type of camouflage, known as background matching, allows them to lie on the bottom of the seabed without being spotted. It is a highly useful adaptation. Some other animals have a type of seasonal camouflage. This includes the snowshoe hare, whose fur turns white in winter to match the surrounding snow. During summer, the animal's fur turns brown to match the surrounding foliage.
There are several different types of camouflage, including concealing coloration, disruptive coloration, disguise, and mimicry.
Disruptive coloration includes spots, stripes, and other patterns that break up the outline of an animal's shape and sometimes conceal particular body parts. The stripes of a zebra's coat, for example, create a disruptive pattern that is confusing to flies, whose compound eyes have trouble processing the pattern. Disruptive coloration is also seen in spotted leopards, striped fish, and black-and-white skunks. Some animals have a particular type of camouflage called a disruptive eye mask. This is a band of color found on the bodies of birds, fish, and other creatures that conceals the eye, which is usually easy to spot because of its distinctive shape. The mask makes the eye nearly invisible, allowing the animal to better avoid being seen by predators.
