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Learning about camouflage and mimicry and how they help animals stay safe from predators.
Imagine you are walking through a forest and a dry, brown leaf suddenly flies away! Was it really a leaf, or was it a secret agent in disguise?
Camouflage is a special way animals hide by matching their surroundings. It is like a natural 'invisibility cloak.' Animals use colors, patterns, or even their body shapes to disappear. For example, a white polar bear is very hard to see against the white snow. This helps them stay safe from predators (animals that want to eat them). If a predator cannot see you, it cannot catch you! Some animals are so good at this that they have a survival rate of nearly as long as they stay still.
1. The Snowy Owl lives in the Arctic where there is lots of white snow. 2. Its feathers are bright white to match the ground. 3. When the owl sits still, it looks like a pile of snow. 4. This allows the owl to hide from enemies and sneak up on its own food!
Quick Check
What is the main goal of camouflage?
Answer
To help an animal blend into its environment so it is hard to see.
Mimicry is a bit different from camouflage. Instead of trying to disappear, an animal tries to look like something else! Usually, a harmless animal will copy the look of a dangerous or 'yucky' animal. This tricks predators into staying away. It is like wearing a scary mask so nobody bothers you. The Hoverfly is a great example. It has yellow and black stripes just like a stinging wasp, but it has stingers! Predators see the stripes and think, 'Ouch! I better stay away!'
1. The Coral Snake is very venomous and has red, yellow, and black rings. 2. The Scarlet King Snake is totally harmless but has almost the same colors. 3. A hungry hawk sees the King Snake and thinks it is the dangerous Coral Snake. 4. The hawk decides not to eat the snake, and the King Snake stays safe!
Quick Check
How is mimicry different from camouflage?
Answer
Camouflage is about blending into the background, while mimicry is about looking like a different, often dangerous, animal.
Why do animals use these tricks? It all comes down to Survival. In nature, animals are often in a high-stakes game of 'Hide and Seek.' Prey animals use these adaptations to stay alive. However, predators use them too! A tiger has stripes to hide in the tall, wavy shadows of the grass. This lets the tiger get close to its prey without being noticed. Whether you are the hunter or the one being hunted, being hard to see is a major advantage.
1. This lizard lives in the forests of Madagascar. 2. Its tail is shaped exactly like a dried, crunchy leaf, complete with 'holes' that look like bug bites. 3. It combines camouflage (matching the leaves) and mimicry (looking like a specific object). 4. Even if you were looking right at it, you might think it is just part of a tree!
Which of these is an example of camouflage?
Why would a harmless animal use mimicry?
Only animals that are being hunted (prey) use camouflage.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember: What is the difference between 'blending in' and 'copying'?
Practice Activity
Go outside or look at a picture of a garden. Try to find one insect. Is it easy to see, or is it using camouflage?