21^st Eco-gen Ambassador Program- Free Topic Report, December 2018

Nature never ceases to amaze and intrigue us. Though survival can be a challenging task in the wild, nature has its own methods of sustaining life. many animal species have developed different ways of survival throughout evolution. Camouflage is one such interesting survival and protective mechanism that protects many smaller and slower species from predators.

Camouflage - a natural protective mechanism

Many animals have evolved to exhibit some form of camouflage, which is an adaptation that allows animals to blend in with certain aspects of their environment. Camouflage increases an organism's chance of survival by hiding it from predators. I recently came across some very interesting and unusual pictures related to this topic while doing a school project and I would like to share them with the other members.

4 different types of camouflage:

·  Concealing coloration- When an animal hides itself against a background of the same color.

·  Disruptive coloration- When the features of an animal's body (stripes, spots), camouflage it.

·   Disguise- When animals blend in with their surroundings by their shape and/or texture rather than color.

·   Mimicry- When animals mimic the characteristics of unappetizing animals to fool the predator.

Some interesting examples of animals using camouflage

Common Baron Caterpillar

Baron caterpillars are a medium sized species native to Sri Lanka, India and Southeast Asia that evolved their elaborate shapes and colors for the single purpose of hiding from predators.

Wrap Around Spider

The Wrap-around spider is a species of spider indigenous to Australia. It is named for its ability to flatten and wrap its body around tree limbs as camouflage.

Uroplatus Geckos

Uroplatus is a genus of geckos, commonly referred to as leaf-tail geckos or flat-tailed geckos, which are endemic to Madagascar and its coastal islands. They are nocturnal, insectivorous lizards found exclusively in primary and secondary forests and have amazing ability to camouflage on tree trunks and many other forest surfaces.

Copperhead Snake

The copperhead snake is a species of venomous snake endemic to Eastern North America. The behavior of this snake may lead to accidental encounters with humans but its amazing ability to camouflage itself often leaves it unnoticed.

I have appended below the interesting photos that caught my attention. Please visit the weblink below for more such images.

https://www.boredpanda.com/animal-camouflage-39/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic