Minibeasts and Camouflage

Animals and colour  Animals have two main reasons for being a particular colour:  i) Camouflage - matching the colour of their bodies to the colour of their home or habitat so that they are difficult to find e.g. grasshoppers.  ii) Warning colours - making their bodies stand out with bright colours and patterns to make sure their enemies see them and know that they taste horrible or sting e.g. wasps.

 Minibeasts are great at disappearing into the background.  They use camouflage to protect themselves from being eaten or to help them creep up on and catch other creatures. Background Information Dead Leaf Butterfly

What is camouflage?  Camouflage is a kind of colouring, body shape, and/or behaviour animals use to protect themselves.  Camouflage helps animals hide by blending in with their environment.

Can you spot the tartan hawkfish?

Can you spot the frog?

Can you spot the crab?

Can you spot the Paradoxophyla palmata frog?

Can you spot the lizard?

Can you spot the Indonesian Mimic Octopus ?

Camouflage  Camouflage may help animals avoid danger by fooling other animals into leaving them alone.  Camouflage works for both sides in the battle for survival. Prey animals use it to avoid being found and eaten. Predators use it to keep from being seen by prey until it's too late.

Types of Camouflage

Disguise  Many animals have unique designs on their bodies that help to hide them.  Some animals might have spots, stripes or a group of patches.  Animal patterns may match those of their surroundings. For example, animals that inhabit areas with tall, vertical grass often have long, vertical stripes. Sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis)

Mimicry  Have you ever been tricked by something that was fake? Sometimes we think sparkly jewels are diamonds, but they are really just glass.  Animals can make copies too. Some copies are so good that we don't know that they aren't the real thing.  Smaller, weaker animals have to imitate stronger animals to stay alive. These "copycats" are called MIMICS.

Mimicry  Mimicry is when an insect pretends to be something it isn't. In this case, it pretends to be another kind of insect.  If insects or other less powerful animals can trick their predators into thinking they are a different animal by the sounds they make, or the colours on their body, they just might survive a little longer.

Example of mimicry  The monarch butterfly is a bad-tasting insect that most birds will not eat. The viceroy butterfly has a black and orange wing pattern that closely matches the monarch's. Birds who see a viceroy leave it alone, thinking it's a monarch.  Also, many harmless insects look and fly like bees, insects which can really sting. Monarch butterfly Viceroy butterfly

Examples of animals and camouflage

Butterflies and moths  Most butterflies and moth protect themselves from predators by using camouflage.  Some butterflies and moths blend into their environment so well that is it almost impossible to spot them when they are resting on a branch.

Indian leaf butterfly and carpenter moth  Some butterflies look like dead leaves (like the Indian leaf butterfly), others look like the bark of a tree (e.g., the carpenter moth).

Caterpillars  Some caterpillars blend into their surroundings extraordinarily well. Many are a shade of green that matches their host plant.

The End