Camouflage

**Camouflage** is a visual disguise. Without it, an animal would be recognised easily. If the natural color of an animal makes it look like its surroundings, that is camouflage. One example is a tiger's stripes in the long grass.

Camouflage is a form of deception. The word camouflage comes from the French word _camoufler,_ which means "to disguise".

## Natural camouflage

In nature, most animals blend into their environment or conceal their shape. They are very hard to see. This way they survive, and if they survive, then they can reproduce. There are exceptions: animals which are dangerous to eat (e.g. wasps) advertise with warning coloration.

Prey animals hide from predators. Predators must search for prey without being seen. Natural camouflage is one way to do this: an animal can blend in with its surroundings. Another way is for the animal to disguise itself as something harmless.

Some camouflaged animals also copy movements in nature, e.g., of a leaf blowing in the wind. Other animals attach natural materials to their body for concealment. A few animals change color in changing environments. Seasonally: (many Arctic animals, such as the arctic fox, or arctic hare).  Or quickly, like the chameleon and the cuttlefish. Some herd animals, like zebra, have a pattern which makes it difficult for the predator when they are running.

Mimicry is a special kind of camouflage, where an animal or plant looks like another, usually one which is unpleasant to eat or dangerous.

### Countershading

Most animals are dark on top and light underneath. With light coming from the sky, this _countershading_ makes them less visible. That this is the correct explanation is proved by cases where the animal lives upside down. A famous example is the Nile catfish, which swims belly uppermost. In this case, the belly is dark, and the back is light in color.<sup>p43</sup>

## Transparency and silvering

Transparent or partly transparent animals are common in the pelagic layer of the sea. These are the layers into which light penetrates. The effect of transparency or silvering works is better under water than above it. This is because the amount of light which penetrates is less and less as the depth increases. Also, the proportion of the light reflected is much less under water (0.001–0.6%) than in air (2–5%).

## Related pages

- Military camouflage
- Mimicry
- Warning coloration: the opposite of camouflage

## Further reading

- Ferrari, Mareo 1992. _Colors for survival: mimicry and camouflage in nature_. NY: Barnes & Noble.
- Behrens, Roy R. 2002. _False colors: art, design and modern camouflage_. Bobolink Books.
- Wolf, Art 2005. _Vanishing act_. Text by Barbara Sleeper. NY: Bullfinch Press.
- Purser, Bruce 2003. _Jungle bugs: masters of camouflage & mimicry_. Toronto: Firefly.
- Forbes, Peter 2009. _Dazzled and deceived: mimicry and camouflage_. Yale University Press.

## Other websites

- Harris, Tom. 2006. _How animal camouflage works_. http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/all-about-animals/animal-camouflage2.htm How Stuff Works.
- Roy R. Behrens. _Art and camouflage: an annotated bibliography_
- Roy R. Behrens 2006. _The thinking eye: a chronology of camouflage_
- _An informal study into camoflage_
- BBC/Attenborough: Octopus hides in shells, from Blue Planet II. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05nzfn1?intc_type=singletheme&intc_location=bbcone&intc_campaign=blueplanet&intc_linkname=vidclip_octopus_contentcard1