Camouflage

For other uses, see Camouflage (disambiguation).

Hooded Grasshopper (Teratodus monticollis) is camouflaged in both shape and colour

Camouflaged Ibex in the Israeli desert

Kallima inachus, the Indian leaf butterfly Shows the leaf-like appearance of the underside of the wing, visible when wings are closed. This is typical of the whole genus.

Really exceptional camouflaged frog,
almost invisible (facing right, on the upper left of the nearly-vertical stick on the rightmost third of the photo). Brazil

Typical tabby cat is dark striped on its back, head and paws, and white on its belly. That is countershading, a key means of camouflage.

Camouflage is a visual disguise for something which usually can be seen easily.

If the natural colour of an animal makes it look like its surroundings, that is camouflage. A tiger's stripes in the long grass, and the battledress of a modern soldier are examples.

Camouflage is a form of deception. The word camouflage comes from the French word camoufler, which means "to disguise".

Natural camouflage

In nature, most animals blend into their environment or conceal their shape. They are very hard to see. This way they survive, and if they survive, then they can reproduce. There are exceptions: animals which are dangerous to eat (e.g. wasps) advertise with warning colouration.

Prey animals hide from predators. Predators must search for prey without being seen. Natural camouflage is one way to do this: an animal can blend in with its surroundings. Another way is for the animal to disguise itself as something harmless.

Some camouflaged animals also copy movements in nature, e.g., of a leaf blowing in the wind. Other animals attach natural materials to their body for concealment. A few animals change color in changing environments. Seasonally: (many Arctic animals, such as the Arctic fox, or hare). Or quickly, like the chameleon and the cuttlefish. Some herd animals adopt a similar pattern to make it difficult to distinguish a single animal.

Countershading

Most animals are dark on top and light underneath. With light coming from above, this countershading makes them less visible.

Related pages

• Military camouflage
• Mimicry
• Warning colouration: the opposite of camouflage

Further reading

• Harris, Tom. "How animal camouflage works". How Stuff Works. http://science.howstuffworks.com/animal-camouflage2.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-13. 
• "How do a zebra's stripes act as camouflage?". How Stuff Works. http://science.howstuffworks.com/question454.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-13. 
• Roy R. Behrens - Art and Camouflage: an annotated bibliography
• Behrens, Roy R. (2002). False colors: art, design and modern camouflage. Bobolink Books. ISBN 0-9713244-0-9. 

Other websites

Wikimedia Commons has images, video, and/or sound related to:

Camouflage

• Roy R. Behrens 2006. The Thinking Eye: a chronology of camouflage
• "An informal study into camoflage"

Gallery

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  An infant Cuttlefish blends into the surrounding sand.

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  A Mantis from Madagascar looks like a dead leaf.

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  Two flatfish blending in!

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  A leaf insect at home

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  Zoo tiger looks striking: but in home environment it blends with the long grass.

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  The more real the surroundings, the batter the camouflage.

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  Tawny Frogmouths blend in with colour and texture of tree bark. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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  Spider hides in flower