Some animals just have to be not seen to be seen! Can you find some of these well camouflaged creatures?
While we all hail John Cena as the master of camouflage, we should probably broaden our vision to accept that it's not that special, lots of creatures can do it, and they constantly do. Look at some of these cute and potent cases of animal camouflage!
1. Just Some Tree Bark?
Can you see the Two-Tailed Spider merging perfectly with the texture of the bark? They are also called Long-Spinnered Bark Spiders, as they have long tails or spinnerets from which their silken webs come out. However, ironically, they don’t build webs to catch prey or live in, they just hang out on barks, and scurry away when scared. You probably won't even notice though.
2. This Crunchy Looking Leaf That Makes You Want to Step on It for the Perfect Crunch
Don’t step on it, it’s actually a ghost mantis. It’s a small praying mantis species from Africa, famous for its withered-looking dry leaf body that it uses as camouflage from predators and to catch unsuspecting prey. Imagine being eaten by a crusty, dry old leaf!
3. This One’s Being a Little Obvious, but at Least It’s Trying
This half-baked attempt at camouflage is usually very successful. This is the flat sole fish from the Soleoidei family. They’re edible fish that bury themselves in the sand for the perfect camouflage and safe, cosy sleep.
4. This Guy Who Went to the Fancy Dress Party As Sandman and Was Sad Nobody Noticed Him
This is a small juvenile ghost crab. An apt name for this creature that is barely visible and almost transparent. Ironically, when this crab grows, it loses its camouflaging ability and looks like any medium-sized crab you’re used to seeing. However, when these creatures are younger and their shells are too soft to provide appropriate defence, they camouflage perfectly.
5. This Is Just Some Moss And Dirt Right?
Nope, these are two (yes, two) well-camouflaged rainforest tree frogs. The larger they get, they can lose their camouflage ability, so it benefits these creatures to stay small. Their ability to hide allows them to croak when they need to, without directly alerting predators of their presence. They also croak to attract mates. Imagine playing hide and seek with your future mate before you even see them.
6. This Particularly Large Bit of Pollen With Legs
This little bugger is the Misumena vat, otherwise known as the Goldenrod crab spider, or the flower crab spider. These little guys are amazing since they can change their colour from white to yellow, depending on what flower they decide to spend the day on. They don't weave webs to hunt, they instead just predate on wasps and bees, hence their perfect flower-pollen camouflage.
7. This Protruding Bit of Rock That Looks Slightly Menacing
This is the Devil Scorpionfish (no wonder it looked menacing), otherwise known as the False Stonefish. It looks like the Stonefish, however, is not as poisonous and the sting is unlikely to kill a human. It blends in perfectly well with the rock-face under the sea, however, when required, it has brightly tipped fins to scare predators that might spot it.
8. Some Dry Twigs
Where does the twig end and stick insect begin, eh? Stick insects belong to the Phasmid family, and there are many species of stick insects that look vastly different from one another. However, their camouflage abilities are veteran, to say the least. They slip up sometimes, however, and all you can see are the little cute buggy-eyes!
9. This Dead Old Leaf
This is the Indian Oakleaf, and its position on various barks around you will often go very unnoticed. The remarkable thing about this dull-looking creature is that it is actually extremely colourful and vibrant on the inside of its wings. When it folds it wings back, it is perfectly camouflaged, however, one flap open and viola…
…it’s a party. This creature is found all the way from India to Japan, confusing creature everywhere as to what that flashing bit of colour is. It’s probably the confetti of the forest!
These beautiful camouflaged creatures are easy to ignore (they literally want you to) however, let’s not be fooled by appearances. Notice the little hidden away aspects of nature before climate change takes it all away!