Nature is wise, very wise. And, therefore, it has endowed some animals with the ability to camouflage themselves to survive in their natural environment. These animals are usually easy prey for other larger predators and, therefore, have a natural ability to camouflage themselves with the environment in which they are and, thus, go unnoticed in the eyes of other animals or even humans. Next, in, we are going to discover 8 animals that camouflage themselves to survive so that you know them and you will be impressed with the wisdom of nature.
Madagascar geckos, the master of camouflage
Among the animals that camouflage themselves to survive, a resident species in Madagascar stands out, which is known as “Madagascar geckos“. This creature has colors that adapt to the environment and that, therefore, can be perfectly confused with elements of nature such as dry leaves, fresh leaves, etc.
These animals live in Madagascar and usually spend most of their lives in trees. They only go down to land to lay their eggs and, it is then, when we can appreciate the great resemblance they have with the leaves of the trees, something that makes it almost invisible to our eyes.
Stick insects, animals that camouflage themselves perfectly
We continue with this list of animals that camouflage themselves to survive talking about one of the most spectacular: stick insects. As the name suggests, these insects look like elongated sticks and, therefore, it is very easy for us to confuse them with one of them.
They usually live in shrubs or trees and, when the sun rises, they usually hide among plants to avoid being attacked by other predators. Thus, during the night, they come out to eat and mate but their external appearance is ideal to keep them safe because they look like dry branches of trees.
The chameleon, one of the animals that best camouflage themselves
If we talk about reptiles that camouflage perfectly, then we have to talk about chameleons because they are one of those who know how to do it more easily. These animals have the ability to fully assimilate into the environment and, thus, be able to go unnoticed by other larger predators.
Chameleons can blend into the environment and either adopt a greener or browner hue, depending on where they are seated. It is amazing how they can camouflage themselves even though they are animals that can be large.
Leaf insect
The leaf insect is another of the animals that best manage to camouflage themselves in nature. As its name suggests, it is an insect that closely resembles both the color and shape of a green leaf and, therefore, can go completely unnoticed by the naked eye.
In addition, these insects have a very curious fact and is that, to date, no male specimen has been found. This means that all of them are females and that the reproduction system they follow is what is known as “parthenogenesis”. As the male is not involved in any process, the new members of the species are always female.
In this other article we discover how animals reproduce so that you know the different reproductive methods that exist in nature.
Green caterpillar
Another of the animals that best camouflage themselves in the environment in order to survive is the green caterpillar that can blend in to the maximum with the area where they live, that is, with the branches of the plants and their leaves.
Thanks to the camouflage capacity of these green caterpillars, they can go completely unnoticed to our eyes and those of predators, therefore, it is an ideal method to survive as long as possible.
Cuttlefish, marine animals that camouflage themselves perfectly
Let’s go now to the marine environment to meet another of the most amazing animals for its ability to camouflage. These are cuttlefish, cephalopods that can take the color of the place where they are perched: sand, rocks, etc.
The reason why cuttlefish can be camouflaged in such a complete way is that they have cells in the skin that have the ability to adapt to any environment and, thus, be able to go completely unnoticed.
Stonefish
We continue at the bottom of the sea to talk, now, about another of the most amazing fish in the ocean: the stone fish. It is a very poisonous animal and, in addition, it will be very difficult for you to detect it with the naked eye since it looks like another stone from the bottom of the ocean.
The reason why it can camouflage itself so well is because it is an animal that is a good swimmer and, therefore, would be a very easy prey for other marine predators. However, because it is such a poisonous animal and so easy to miss, they can live longer.
Owls, birds that camouflage themselves perfectly
And, finally, to finish with this ranking of the 8 animals that camouflage themselves to survive we will look up to the sky to find owls, birds of prey that are nocturnal and are covered by feathers with a hue adapted to the environment.
The color of their feathers is very similar to that of tree trunks and, therefore, they can rest on their branches without it being easy to detect it with the naked eye. Depending on the place of origin of the owl, it will be covered with one type of fur and one color or another but, always, designed to be able to camouflage itself with the natural environment.