Many animals use camouflage to protect themselves and help them survive. It is an important ability for animals to live in the harsh world. Some creatures just match in their environments, from the ocean to the forest, or tree leaves or bark. Their camouflage is so perfect that they’re almost invisible. Here are 6 examples of camouflage animals blowing your mind.
1. Chameleon – one of the best camouflage animals
The first member in the list of best camouflage animals is chameleons. There’s a reason why they call this species master of disguise. They can change their color and pattern in a blink of an eye, making them icons of adaptability.
Some chameleon species are so competent at blending in that they change color in response to their predator’s vision. For example, many birds can detect UV light, and this species will modify its hues accordingly. Chameleon camouflage is an example of flash coloration.
Beneath the transparent exterior skin of chameleons, there are pigment cells. These cells are known as the chromatophore which allows chameleons to change their colors. Unlike the popular perception, chameleons do not change colors to blend in with their surroundings. They instead use color to communicate, control their body temperature, and express their feelings.
You can read our Chameleon camouflage to know which color chameleons change to communicate and express their mood.
By changing colors, chameleons can avoid potential predators and hide from the prey to catch them. This lizard has protruding eyeballs that can move independently. When focused on the prey, however, they collaborate to provide them with a three-dimensional vision.
Chameleons live in warm-climate areas. They are found throughout the Middle East, southwestern Asia, and southern Europe, as well as in Africa, Madagascar, and parts of Sri Lanka and India. Madagascar is home to more than 50% of chameleons in the world. You can find these camouflage animals in both deserts and rainforests.
2. Cuttlefish – the camouflage king
Speaking of the best camouflage animals, cuttlefish is the name you can’t miss. This creature is called “chameleon of the sea”. In the ocean, cuttles, as well as octopuses, are the best of camouflage. Cuttlefish can mimic the color, texture, and pattern of any objects they swim by. Their ability takes camouflage to new heights.
Like chameleons, there are also pigment cells underneath the skin of cuttlefish. Each square millimeter of their bodies contains up to 200 color-changing chromatophores. Beneath these cells are light-reflecting cells.
These cells enable the cuttlefish to change hues quickly and even produce chromatically complicated patterns. The fish also contains muscles that allow it to shift the texture of its skin from smooth to rough, helping it to fit in with reefs and rocks as needed.
They use their color-changing ability to protect themselves from predators. Like chameleons, cuttles also change their color to tell their emotions.
Cuttlefish’s ability to change their appearance goes beyond ordinary camouflage. It can “glow” by using color and light, which hypnotizes prey, making them easy be caught. Male cuttlefish can even use their color to attract females or become females. To know how can male cuttlefish do the gender-bending ability, you can read our article.
Cuttles are not only good at camouflage, but they are also very smart. They can count, they can use objects around them as hunting/playing tools, they can navigate, be aware of spatiality, and learn by observation. If a cuttlefish is raised in captivity, it can remember your face for the rest of its life.
3. Eastern Screech Owl
The Eastern screech owl is one of the best camouflage animals. With the mixed coloration of white, grey, and tan; they can match flawlessly with tree bark, making it virtually invisible when it hides in tree cavities. There are also feathers protruding from its head, which break up its contour and make it harder to see.
Besides the grey morphs, Eastern screech owls also have red morphs or rufous morphs. These morphs are more reddish-brown. Because these owls hide among pine trees and changing leaves, their camouflage is just as perfect as that of the gray version.
Because these owls hide in the daytime and work at night, you can only hear them, instead of seeing them. You can hear 2 types of their sounds: a whinny and a trill. If you hear a whinny, this means the owl is protecting its nest and territory. And a low trill indicates that the owl is communicating with its mates or family member.
To learn some Cool facts about the Eastern screech owl, you can read our guidelines.
4. Stonefish
Next on the best camouflage animals list is stonefish. The species got the name because they can be easily mistaken for reefs, rocks, and stones around them. So if you’re snorkeling in the Indian or Pacific Ocean, be careful because they are very venomous. They can be found in shallow coastal waters in Australia.
With the colors and the encrusted appearance that is similar to rocky and coral reefs, stonefish easily blend in surroundings. Furthermore, they are small with the size of a stone and they stay motionless all the time. With these features, not many people can recognize them, which is dangerous.
Stonefish is one of the most venomous fish in the world. With the 13 spines containing venom on the back, this fish can kill an adult in less than an hour if that person steps on them. Their spines can even sting you through soft-soled shoes.
Their spines with venom are not used to hunt, but to defend. To catch the prey, stonefish use their excellent camouflage ability. They are so fast that can catch prey in just 0.015 seconds.
To find out more about Stonefish and how to prevent them, you can read our article.
5. Arctic Fox
Winter in the tundra, you can hardly see nothing but a white color. This is an advantage for Arctic foxes. With the full white to creamy white appearance, they can blend in the winter. This excellent outfit allows the fox to blend in with the white snow, keeping it safe from predators like polar bears, eagles, and wolves. The thick fur is also like a coat helping them resist the cold of 58 degrees below zero.
When the summer comes, the Arctic fox loses its white coat in favor of a brown and blond one, allowing it to blend in with rocks and vegetation. With this ability, the Arctic fox becomes one of the best camouflage animals in the world.
Besides great camouflage ability, this fox species also have the astonishing hearing ability. They can hear lemmings (their favorite food) moving under the snow and spot their exact location. After that, they will use the mousing technique to catch them. To know what Arctic fox’s mousing technique is, you can read our guidelines.
6. Vietnamese mossy frog
Last but not least on our list – Vietnamese mossy frogs. As the name, the frog is native to Viet Nam and has the most complicated camouflage patterns. Unlike other fox species, the Vietnamese mossy frog carries a rugged skin with many colorful spikes and lumps like warts growing. Their appearance makes them resemble lichen or moss.
To learn more about this frog, you can read our “5 Interesting facts about Vietnamese mossy frogs” article.
By being still, the frog has itself a perfect disguise. Most of the time, the mossy frogs “play a role” as a clump of moss in the jungle and rainforest, with wide eyes open watching the surroundings.
These are the best 6 camouflage animals in the world. Each of them has its own unique features to blend in with its environment. If you know any other animal having amazing camouflage ability out there, just comment below!
