Showing posts with label mimicary.insetcs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mimicary.insetcs. Show all posts
Friday, October 12, 2012
Mimicary of nature
At first glimpse these pictures may look like nothing out of the ordinary : appearing to just show an ordinary leaf or a branch of a tree.
But on closer inspection you can spot some of nature's true masters of disguise playing a killer game of hide and seek.
From a katy did disguised as a leaf to a tiny Pygmy Seahorse camouflaged in sea fan in Papua New Guinea , these images showcase the creatures who can quite literally blend into the background.
Nothing out of the ordinary: A Leaf mimic katydid is an uncanny additionto a group of leaves, left, and a Lichen-mimic katydid is barely noticeable camouflaged on tree.
Illusionist: A leaf-mimic katydid - also known as a bush-cricket - camouflaged to look like a dead leafto hide itself from predators
Masters of disguise: An Oak beauty caterpillar branching out, left, and a Hooded mantis hiding among leaves in a Costa Rican tropical rainforest.
Barking up the wrong tree: A common potoo - a nocturnal bird which breeds in tropical Central and South America - blending into the bark on a tree branch
Hiding in the deep: A tiny Pygmy Seahorse, which only grow up to 2cms, pictured at 130 feet below sea level on a sea fan in Papua New Guinea
Making no mark: Another leaf mimic katydid shows off its incredible camouflaging skills by mimicking theleaf it is standing on
Creepy crawler: A well camouflaged large huntsman spider, which uses its venom to paralyse its prey, but is thought to not be particularly dangerous to healthy humans
Lying in wait: The eyes of a flatfish peering up from its seafloor are the only thing that reveals its hiding place
Keeping a keen eye: John Cancalosi, who took this snap of a tiny red crab camouflaged on a Sea Fan in Papua New Guinea, said even he sometimesstruggles to spot the creatures he photographs
In the eye of the beholder: A Lantern fly - a Central and South American planthopper - captured in a defensive display by photographer John Cancalosi
Where's Wanda?: A triplefin fish, found around the coast of New Zealand at depths of about 15m, swimming by tunicates to blend in
The invisible shrimp: A transparent anemone shrimp, found in many coral reefs around the world, hidden in an anemone
A prickly pink customer: A well-camouflaged majid crab crawling across a soft pink coral
Blending in: A small shrimp surrounded by the stinging tentacles of a sea anemone which feed on small fish and shrimp
Undercover creature: A Leaf mimic katydid camouflaged to look like leaf for defence from predators
Impressive disguise: A grasshopper camouflaged like a dead leaf is almost completely unrecognisable
But on closer inspection you can spot some of nature's true masters of disguise playing a killer game of hide and seek.
From a katy did disguised as a leaf to a tiny Pygmy Seahorse camouflaged in sea fan in Papua New Guinea , these images showcase the creatures who can quite literally blend into the background.
Nothing out of the ordinary: A Leaf mimic katydid is an uncanny additionto a group of leaves, left, and a Lichen-mimic katydid is barely noticeable camouflaged on tree.
Illusionist: A leaf-mimic katydid - also known as a bush-cricket - camouflaged to look like a dead leafto hide itself from predators
Masters of disguise: An Oak beauty caterpillar branching out, left, and a Hooded mantis hiding among leaves in a Costa Rican tropical rainforest.
Barking up the wrong tree: A common potoo - a nocturnal bird which breeds in tropical Central and South America - blending into the bark on a tree branch
Hiding in the deep: A tiny Pygmy Seahorse, which only grow up to 2cms, pictured at 130 feet below sea level on a sea fan in Papua New Guinea
Making no mark: Another leaf mimic katydid shows off its incredible camouflaging skills by mimicking theleaf it is standing on
Creepy crawler: A well camouflaged large huntsman spider, which uses its venom to paralyse its prey, but is thought to not be particularly dangerous to healthy humans
Lying in wait: The eyes of a flatfish peering up from its seafloor are the only thing that reveals its hiding place
Keeping a keen eye: John Cancalosi, who took this snap of a tiny red crab camouflaged on a Sea Fan in Papua New Guinea, said even he sometimesstruggles to spot the creatures he photographs
In the eye of the beholder: A Lantern fly - a Central and South American planthopper - captured in a defensive display by photographer John Cancalosi
Where's Wanda?: A triplefin fish, found around the coast of New Zealand at depths of about 15m, swimming by tunicates to blend in
The invisible shrimp: A transparent anemone shrimp, found in many coral reefs around the world, hidden in an anemone
A prickly pink customer: A well-camouflaged majid crab crawling across a soft pink coral
Blending in: A small shrimp surrounded by the stinging tentacles of a sea anemone which feed on small fish and shrimp
Undercover creature: A Leaf mimic katydid camouflaged to look like leaf for defence from predators
Impressive disguise: A grasshopper camouflaged like a dead leaf is almost completely unrecognisable
