Perfecting the art of camouflage in the Animal Kingdom
Stephen Frink/Image Source/Getty Images
Survival of the fittest? More like survival of the least-likely-to-be-seen. Whether hiding from predators or secretly waiting to ambush prey themselves, these colorful critters are masters of disguise and have, with evolution's help, perfected the art of camouflage. And as a special treat for our naturalist readers, we’ve included each animal’s scientific name.
Thomas Marent/Minden Pictures/Getty ImagesPretty in PinkOrchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus)Stephen Frink/Image Source/Getty ImagesSpot the Seahorse?Pygmy Seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti)
Ullstein bild via Getty ImagesTwinningPygmy Seahorses (Hippocampus denise)Thomas Marent/Minden Pictures/Getty ImagesLeaf PeeperMoth (Gastropacha quercifolia)Steve Winter/National Geographic/Getty ImagesEye of the TigerTiger (Panthera tigris)
Auscape/UIG via Getty ImagesGoing GreenLeaf-Mimicking Katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia)Martin Harvey/Corbis/Getty ImagesMore Than Meets the EyeSaltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)Barcroft Media via Getty ImagesBarking Down the Wrong TreeLeaf-Tail Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus)
Thomas Marent/Minden Pictures/Getty ImagesBrown StudyLeaf-Tail Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus)scubaluna/iStock/Getty ImagesEyes Have ItWide-Eyed Flounder (Bothus podas)Borut Furlan/WaterFrame/Getty ImagesToothsomeStargazer Fish (Uranoscopus bicinctus)
KeithSzafranski/E+/Getty Images50 Shades of...Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor)Barcroft Media via Getty ImagesSpinning IllusionsLong-Spinnered Bark Spider (Hersilia sericea)Noorhussain/iStock/Getty ImagesWho Me?Pallid Scops Owl (Otus brucei)
Matthias Breiter/Minden Pictures/Getty ImagesWintry WonderArctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus)