Camouflage In Animals

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Camouflage In Animals

• By Jayde Hughes 7XW

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What IS Camouflage?

• The actual definition of camouflage is
• A method of disguising or concealing objects by
  colouring or covering them so that they look like
  part of their surroundings.
• A bit complicated? So lets just say its when
  something blends in with a background like
  chameleons, which are extremely talented at
  camouflaging!!

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Basic camouflages

• The most usually seen camouflages are

Spots Spots are a good way of blending into
backgrounds. If animals like cheetahs and
leopards were just one solid colour they would
not be very good at catching prey since their
surroundings are a blend of many colours. Spots
also confuse other animals. It is mostly big cats
and reptiles with spots.
Stripes Most commonly seen in Tigers and Zebras,
they break up the shape of the animals body in
the long grass of the jungle, or of the savannah.
Mimics Many creatures are mimics like shield
bugs and stick insects. It is when something
looks like something else. This trait is mostly
seen in insects .
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Complex camouflages

• Some animals have complicated ways of camouflage,
  animals like the chameleon, here are a few colour
  changing facts

Even if a chameleon is blind it can still change
colour
Chameleons do not just change colour because of
their surroundings but also because of their mood
and temperature.
Humans do have skin pigments but we are not able
to change our colour as fast as chameleons do
because a chameleons pigments are light
reflecting.
Chameleons change because of their skin
pigmentation( Cells in their skin which determine
their colour)
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The pluses of camouflage

• There are many pluses of being able to camouflage
  e.g.
• Hiding from predators.
• Or being able to catch prey.
• Humans would not be able to find you since our
  vision is worst than most animals.
• You could sleep without being eaten.

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The hunter and the hunted

• The Polar Bear The Walrus
  The clam

eats
eats

• How it camouflages
• Their dark colour is good for camouflaging in the
  murky sea water.
• They are not just one solid colour, even though
  it looks it, but many, increasing their survival
  chances.
• Their only downfall is that they are to heavy to
  get away fast enough and the polar bears can
  catch them.

• How it camouflages
• Clams come in thousands of colours and are, like
  most shells, very good at camouflaging.
• They do mostly come in dusty browns but some,
  like ones from the coral reefs, come in blues and
  other exotic colours.
• When they sense danger or movement they squash
  down onto the sea bed, so they can not be seen.
• Even if they do camouflage well, walruses have
  very good eyesight and can find them immediately.

• How it camouflages
• Their fur isn't actually white but translucent,
  so it reflects the snow colour
• This is why when they are kept in concrete
  enclosures their fur goes more grey.
• They also put snow on their noses to be even more
  camouflaged.

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The main camouflagers

• Big cats insects reptiles
  fish birds

• Fish are amazing camouflagers, like insects some
  are very small, and the small ones are usually
  the best at camouflaging.
• They can make themselves camouflaged in the
  rainbow coral reefs.
• Its not just little nippers who can camouflage,
  the giant Nurse shark is a great camouflager too!

• What insects lack in their size they make up for
  in camouflaging skills.
• They can look like, leaves, twigs, flowers, one
  species even looks like bird droppings!
• Some also blend into their backgrounds like
  chameleons do.

• Yes even birds camouflage, but mostly the females
  
• This is why they are the duller than the male.
• This is because if they were bright colours and
  looking after their eggs a predator would easily
  find them.

• Its not just the hunted that need camouflage, the
  predators need it too.
• If they were bright colours prey would spot them
  immediately and run away.
• Spots and stripes (what almost all the big cats
  have) are the two of the three best methods of
  camouflage.

• Reptiles are mostly green or brown, because
  they're usually found in woodland
• A few snakes, and a few lizards, like the
  chameleon can come in reds, blues and yellows.

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Lets just get a few things straight

• This is the end of my slideshow
• Just so you remember here are some facts
• Chameleons can camouflage whether they can see or
  not.
• A polar bears fur isn't white, but transparent
• Its not just prey that camouflages
• And skin cells have pigments in them!
• Thanks to Google images and wikipedia!!
• Thank you for watching!!