Life in the wild is not an easy struggle for existence, so many representatives of the fauna have learned to hide so masterfully that the unenlightened will not even guess that there is a living creature in front of him. Disguise is often the only way to survive. We offer you to get acquainted with how animals and birds hide from dangers.
Definition
Camouflage is the ability of some living beings to completely merge with the environment. Its purpose is to save from predators and humans, as well as hunting. It seems that nature itself took care of its creations, giving them an amazing color that helps not to stand out from the background of their habitat. The purposes of masking can be different:
- for some animals, the ability to blend in with nature is a great way to protect themselves from predators;
- for others, the ability to be invisible against the background of the environment helps to hunt.
This is why camouflage is an essential part of wildlife life.
Views
Without the ability to merge with nature, many representatives of the fauna would be doomed. There are several ways to disguise:
- mimicry or imitative resemblance, enabling one animal to impersonate another;
- protective coloring - often nature itself has so bizarrely decorated its inhabitants that they literally dissolve against its background;
- often the color of the coat changes depending on the season, making the beast invisible in both summer and winter.
All of this helps animals become less visible in the environment.
Examples
Camouflage is an amazing phenomenon. Thus, among the inhabitants of the steppes and deserts, yellow and gray predominate in color, which makes them less noticeable against the background of dry, yellowed grass. The inhabitants of the savanna - lions, are excellent at hiding in dense thickets, due to their sandy color, so they can pounce on prey, letting it in at close range.
Often the striped color helps predators to remain invisible to herbivores for a long time. The tiger is a true master of disguise. The animal is decorated with stripes that help it blend in with the thickets and, thanks to the lighting, become completely invisible.
Inhabitants of the northern latitudes have also adapted well to hiding in the snow. The arctic fox, for example, sheds in winter, its fur becomes not only thicker and warmer, but also completely white, so the animal can hide in snowdrifts and completely merge with them.background.
An interesting example is the partridge: in summer it is painted in gray-brown tones, so it does not catch the eye in the forest. In winter, the bird acquires white plumage and becomes invisible again, but already on the snow.
Record breakers
We invite you to get acquainted with the most amazing examples of disguise from the world of wildlife. The data is presented in the form of a table.
| Animal name | Disguise method |
| Two-color flounder | This fish blends in perfectly with the ground thanks to its coloration. |
| Leaf-tailed gecko | The photo above shows that a lizard is indistinguishable from a dry leaf. |
| Chameleon | Able to change body color depending on the color of the environment. |
| Vipers | The body color of snakes helps them become completely invisible in the foliage. |
Disguise is a skill that helps many animals survive in the struggle for existence.
