11 amazing camouflaged animals
Chameleon
Few animals are as famous for camouflage as chameleons, whose color-changing skills have made them icons of adaptability. But that probably wasn't the reason they evolved the ability — instead, scientists think they mainly change colors to communicate. Certain hues signal certain moods: Some advertise anger, others mean "I'm ready to mate!" And while this color code may be why chameleons evolved shifty skin, many have clearly seen its value as camo, too. Some even target specific predators — one species in South Africa blends in with the ground to avoid birds, but blends in with the sky to avoid snakes. The key is the chromatophore, a type of pigmented cell layered underneath chameleons' transparent outer skin.
Peringuey viper
This sneaky snake buries itself below the sand with only the eyes above ground so it can ambush lizards and geckos. Peringuey's vipers or adders are found in Namibia and southern Angola.
Common baron caterpillar
If you're a hungry bird in western Malaysia, good luck finding any common baron caterpillars. Plenty of other butterfly larvae blend in with local plants, but few can vanish into vegetation like the baron. Baron caterpillars evolved their elaborate shapes and colors for that single purpose: hiding from predators. This boosts their odds of becoming common baron butterflies, and therefore reproducing. Native to India and Southeast Asia, barons often feed on the leaves of mango trees, like this one in a Kuala Lumpur garden. That can sour their relationship with mango farmers, though — yet another reason camo comes in handy.
Pygmy seahorse
Coral reefs are rough places to live, so their residents often use camouflage to stay safe. And when it comes to living incognito among coral, the pygmy seahorse wrote the book Less than an inch long and studded with coral-like "tubercles," this seahorse has all its evolutionary chips on just two species of gorgonian corals in the Pacific Ocean (with a matching color pattern for each). It blends in so well, though, that it was only discovered by humans after showing up with wild-caught corals in an aquarium. It mates in pairs that may be monogamous, according to the IUCN, but its conservation status is unknown due to insufficient data.
Stick insect
While most animals need a specific backdrop for their camouflage to work, a few are so well-disguised they're incognito almost anywhere. Stick insects are a good example, with twig-like bodies that let them become virtually invisible just by holding still. A wide variety of stick insects exist around the world, ranging in size from half an inch to two feet long. Often colored brown or green, they tend to freeze when threatened, sometimes swaying to mimic a branch blowing in the wind. That's not to say they can't be assertive, though — the American stick insect, for example, can spray a mild acid from two glands in its thorax to thwart would-be predators. If it gets in your eyes, it can burn and even cause temporary blindness.
Flounder
As a type of "flat fish," flounder are ideally suited to life on the ocean floor. They huddle up to the seabed, often aided by speckled skin that helps them blend in, such as this pebble-dwelling flounder. That offers safety from predators, but also lets them ambush prey like shrimp, worms, and fish larvae. Flounder begin life as larvae themselves, but undergo a dramatic metamorphosis as they approach adulthood. One eye drifts to the other side of a young flounder's head, letting it swim flat with both eyes looking up. Despite their camouflage, though, many flounder are at risk from overfishing, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch. If you're a flounder fan, opt for Pacific rather than Atlantic varieties, specifically avoiding Atlantic dab, sole, and hirame.
Stonefish
If you're ever snorkeling in the Indian or Pacific Ocean, look out for coral reefs looking back at you. You could be staring down a stonefish, the most venomous fish on Earth. This stonefish was photographed in Indonesia, but its relatives live in shallow coastal waters from Egypt to Australia. They blend in with a variety of reefs and rocks — hence their name — and hide on the sea floor, waiting to ambush prey. But as a defense, they also have 13 sharp dorsal spines packed with a potent neurotoxin, which reportedly can kill a human within two hours. To avoid stepping on one, experts recommend swimming instead of walking in the ocean. If you must walk, shuffle your feet instead of taking big steps.
Tawny frogmouth
Famous for their gaping beaks and big yellow eyes, tawny frogmouths look like cartoon characters — when they're not imitating a tree, that is. If they suspect danger, they simply close their eyes, tilt back their heads and blend into the bark, as the one on the left is doing in this photo. Although they are related to owls, tawny frogmouths are very different birds. They're poor fliers, for one, and don't use their talons to catch prey. In fact, they don't even fly to hunt — instead, they sit eerily still in trees, letting their prey to come to them. They are nocturnal like owls, but mainly eat insects, trapping them in their frog-like mouths. They make a nasal, grunting call, which can sometimes be heard on quiet nights in their native Australia and Tasmania.
Jaguar
This jaguar may be at a zoo in the U.K., but not even England is immune to its versatile fur. Like many cats, jaguars have evolved vague, spotty patterns that blend into a variety of backgrounds, including some far from home. Jaguars are the only true big cat native to the Americas, a world apart from the other three Panthera species: lions, tigers, and leopards, all Old World cats. But while jaguars' spots help them hide from some zoo-goers, they haven't helped the species escape people in general — once widespread across North and South America, jaguars are now restricted to the latter, plus some Central American holdouts and possibly a few in Mexico. The last known U.S. jaguar died in 2009.
Mossy leaf-tailed gecko
It may look like this lizard has been overrun with moss, but save your sympathy — that's its skin. This is the mossy leaf-tailed gecko, a master of disguise found only in the forests of Madagascar. Since these geckos live in trees, they've evolved moss- and bark-colored skin, complete with "dermal flaps" that break up their outline. But they also have another trick up their sleeves: Much like chameleons, they can change their skin color to match the background. Despite these hiding skills, however, the species is still considered vulnerable to extinction, due to habitat loss as well as hunting for the international pet trade.