Animals camouflage themselves to avoid predators, find food, and mate. Some animals can change their colors according to their surroundings. The cuttlefish is one such example. It can change its skin color, texture, and shape to blend into its surroundings when threatened or when it wants to hide from predators.
While some creatures use chromatophores to change their coloration, others have adapted evolutionary traits that allow them to blend in with their natural habitats perfectly. See if you can spot them below.
Chameleons Change Color to Match Their Surroundings
The chameleon is an incredible lizard that can change its skin color to match its surroundings. A chameleon’s color change is due to cells called chromatophores, which contain pigments and reflect light. When the cells are full of a dark pigment, they appear black. When the cells are full of a light pigment, they seem pale; this process is called metachrosis.
The biggest misconception about chameleons is that they change color to match their surroundings, but this is not strictly true; many other factors influence a chameleon’s color. These include the temperature, light, and humidity of their environment.
In addition, chameleons can possess different colors depending on their temperament. For example, a dominant male may have brighter colors, while a submissive male’s body is shaded by grays and dark browns. And females may change their colors depending on whether or not they’d like to accept a suitor.
These wild color-changing lizards are found in Asia, Europe, and Africa, but chameleons are also commonly kept as pets.
Stick Insects Mimic Twigs
A stick insect – sometimes also called a walking stick or twig insect – is characterized by its body’s unusual, modified form. They are the longest insects in the world. These insects are not bugs; that’s a different classification.
There are two main ways the stick insect camouflages itself; by using its coloration and shape. The insect will use its coloration to match the colors of its surroundings and then hide in plain sight. To do this, it will have various colors on top of its exoskeleton, ranging from browns, greens, yellows, whites, reds, and blacks. This allows them to blend in with their surroundings, making them difficult for predators to find.
The second way they camouflage themselves is by using their body shape or form. They have bumps on their body that make them look like dead leaves or twigs, and they purposely move to make themselves look like a twig blowing about in the breeze. Predators find it hard to see them among tree branches or leaves on the forest floor.
Mimic Octopus Change Shape
The mimic octopus is a species of octopus that can change its shape. This ability allows it to blend in with its surroundings and avoid predators. Not only can this clever creature change its appearance, but it can also act like a number of different species.
The mimic octopus is also known as the “Thaumoctopus mimicus” and can be found in Indo-Pacific oceans, from Indonesia to Australia. While most octopuses are nocturnal, the mimic octopuses’ unique shapeshifting abilities allow them to hunt during the day – hiding in plain sight – with a disguise that makes them look like a venomous predator.
These octopuses can mimic over 15 sea creatures; some of the most common are lionfish and sea snakes. To simulate the lionfish, an octopus changes its coloration to match the brown and white stripes while spreading its arms to replicate the long spines on the lionfish’s body. To morph into a sea snake, the mimic octopus buries itself in the sand with two arms poking out in opposite directions. It then displays the undulating movement that the creature is known for.
Crab Spiders Are Ambush Predators
The crab spider (one of the scariest creatures discovered) is an arachnid that gets its name from its wide, flattened body. In addition, these spiders can walk backward and sideways, just like a crab. The females are often white, yellow, or pale green with two pairs of red dots on their abdomen. The males are a darker green with brown stripes on the abdomen.
The ability to blend into their surroundings is one of crab spiders’ best defenses against predators. These spiders have even been observed to change their coloration from brown to green depending on what type of plant they are resting on. Some species can even disguise themselves as bird droppings resting on a leaf.
Crab spiders produce silk, but – unlike other spiders – they rarely use this for building webs. Instead, they are ambush predators who hide in flowers until their prey appears. At this point, they grab with their front legs and use their fangs to inject a deadly dose of venom.
Leaf-tailed Geckos Resemble Leaves
The leaf-tailed gecko is a type of gecko that has the ability to camouflage itself with its environment. It has a large, leaf-like tail that it can use as a decoy to distract predators while it escapes to safety. These nocturnal creatures are endemic to the island of Madagascar, where their diet consists mainly of crickets, beetles, and other small insects.
The leaf-tailed gecko has a set of cells in its skin called chromatophores. These cells contain pigments that are responsible for the colors of their skin. When light shines on these cells, they absorb some colors and reflect others, depending on the type of pigment present. This ability allows them to change their color and pattern to match their environment.
In addition, fringed flaps along the sides of the gecko’s body and lower jaw flatten against whatever surface they are on to obscure their outline.
Common Baron Caterpillars Look Like Green Plants
The Common Baron Caterpillar is native to India and Southeast Asia, where it feeds on mangoes and cashew nuts. Here, the larvae live a solitary life, hidden away from predators until they can safely transform into nymphalid butterflies (not to be confused with moths). They are one of the most impressive camouflage artists, and this ability helps them stay safe until they can morph into adults.
If they position themselves perfectly on the mango tree leaf, they are almost impossible to see. As they grow, these caterpillars develop a yellow line across their backs and needle-like extensions across their legs. If you took a baron caterpillar from its natural environment, it might look a little strange, but when you see them in their habitats, you can see how perfectly evolved they are for blending into the background.
