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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Masters of Nature Camouflage and Disguise- Insects

Insects dedicate camouflage and disguise, not just for a mere survival, some made it into an art form. In many instances, these disguises dwell in an animal's ability to walk with stealth, hide or remain completely still, to create an impression of invisible. These predators or preys constantly slinking around the undergrowth, gazing behind hindrances and standing motionless, await for the perfect timing to strike or flee.

Insects adopted a tailor-made camouflage pattern for a particular micro-habitat that settles in, bold tone is effective disguise in their native habitats. Perhaps what most remarkable about these camouflage and disguise  is that is it all said to be a result of the working chance.

Here we look into a few sophisticated disguises.

Face to face with green dead leaf grasshopper
(Systella rafflesii Westwood, 1841)

Green dead leaf grasshopper
(Systella rafflesii Westwood, 1841)

Face to face with brown dead leaf grasshopper
(Systella rafflesii Westwood, 1841)

Brown dead leaf grasshopper
(Systella rafflesii Westwood, 1841)

Mantis mimicking the pattern of tree trunk moss
(Majangella moultoni sp)

A jumping spider camouflage on a tree trunk perching for preys
(Phaeacius sp. Jumping Spider)

Gecko coloration of a wall in reserved forest
(Marbled Bent Toed Gecko, Cyrtodactylus quadrivirgatus)

Katydid mimicking the shape of leaf, laying flat on tree trunk
(Katydid, Pseudophyllinae, phylomimini)

Mantis mimicking dead leaf waiting to strike
(Dead leaf mantis, Deroplatys labata)

Assassin bug disguise in white sands, mosses and ant carcasses
Wearing its victoms' corpses as armor, lurking at the entrance to black ant colony
(Assassin Bug, Reduvius personatus)

Lichen Huntsman on a tree bark, ambush for prey
(Lichen Huntsman Spider with Prey)

Stick insects are extremely hard to spot, a true master of disguise
here's a stick insect disguise as tree branch fleeing themselves from predators
(Stick Insect, Phasmatodea)


DAZZLED AND DECEIVED 
"DARWIN'S DANGEROUS IDEA"


JW.