Camouflage for survival
The animals that can live the longest are the ones that hide the best.
Animals must protect themselves from predators if they are to survive and
reproduce, and many accomplish this gols through camoutlage. If they hide
themselves well, their predators will not see them and thus will not eat them.
Camouflage is the end result of many evolutionary factors, but it develops primarily
as a response to animals‘ environments. By blending in with their surroundings,
animals greatly reduce the chance that a predator will locate and kill them. The
four primary strategies of camouflage include concealing coloration, disruptive
coloration, disguise, and mimicry.
------ With mimicry, an animal’s coloring makes it resemble another, more
dangerous reature so that they are virtually identical. The red, black, and yellow
rings of scarlet kingsnakes resemble those of coral snakes. Scarlet kingsnakes are
not poisonous, but coral snakes are one of the deadlist species of reptiles.
Consequently, the coloring of scarlet kingsnakes scares away their predators, who
mistake them for venomous snakes and do not target them for a meal.
----- Animals such as zebras and giraffes show disruptive coloration. It may seem
strange to think that zebras camouflage themselves through their stripes since
these features appear quite distinctive to humans. The main predators of zebras,
however, are lions, and they are colorblind. Thusm a zebra’s stripes help the zebra
to blend in with the landscapes of grassy planet, yet, their disruptive coloring allow
them to blend in with trees, particularly when they are young and vulnerable.
Disruptive coloration creates an optical illusion for predators, tricking them about
what stands right before their eyes, and so these animals are rarely detected.
----- With disguise, some animals resemble specific elements of their
surroundings rather than their environment as a whole. The insect known as a
walkin stick looks very much like a stick, so it is difficult to find it when looking
at a tree or bush. Another insect species if referred to as leaf insect or walking
leaves because their bodies so closely look like the plants where they live. Animals
camouflage themeselves in the seas and oceans as well. The tan coloring and
markings of flatfish make them almost impossible to recognize due to the sand
around them, despite changes in tides that disturb the ocean’s floor.
----- Concealing coloration helps animals to blend into their surroundings and
create a visual illusion. For example, the white coats or feathers of many animals
living in arctic zones, such as polar bears and snowy owls, allow them to blend
into the background. If a predator looks across a white snow-covered field, it is
difficulr to pick out its white prey. Moreover, some animals can change
their-colors. Stevens(2016) point out the role of concealment in camouflage: “One
likely advantage is that color change enables animals to cope with varying
background and unpredictable environments”(p.98)
None of these strategies of camouflage is more effective than the other,
and they all show the range of normal possibilities that nature offers animals to
survive. Many animals combine camouflage with their “fight or flight” responses,
which gives them additiional time to decide whether they should stay and fight or
flee. Furthermore, animals that that use camoufage for protection share a
conspicuous problem as well; as Emlen(2014) oberves, “Animals that panic, dashing
from their hiding places at the wrong time, or animals that walk or fly with the
wrong gait, can break camouflage with deadly consequences”(p.18). The most
effective camouflages keep animals safe from their predators. Whether by
concealing coloration, disruptive coloration, disguise, or mimicry, animals need the
protections of camouflage it they are to escape their natural foes.
References
Emlen, D.J.(2014). Animal weapons: The evolution of battle. New York: Henry Holt.
Stevens, M. (2016). Cheats and decits: How animals and plants exploit and mislead.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
