Hide-and-Seek
Blending in can help a creature survive.
Do you like playing hide-and-seek? Some animals play a hiding game, too. They try not to get caught by the animals that are seeking them.
Some animals have skin colors or patterns that help them blend into their surroundings. This kind of disguise is called camouflage (CAM-uh-flahj). It makes it harder for other animals to see, catch, and eat these animals.
Some creatures are “hiding” in these photos. Can you find them?
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Walking Stick |
A walking stick is long, thin, and brown. It looks like a stick. At night, it eats tree leaves. During the day, it hides by looking like part of the tree. It can stay still for a long time. Sometimes it sways, as if it is moving in the breeze. Birds looking for food see a walking stick as a twig they can’t eat.
If a walking stick is in danger, it drops to the ground and lies still. It looks like a broken twig. But if the walking stick moves on the ground, enemies could notice it. Wouldn’t you look twice at a stick that was walking?
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| Katydid |
A katydid looks a little like a grasshopper, but it has a shorter body. It is usually green, with flat wings that look like leaves. This camouflage helps it hide while eating leaves and grass. If a lizard or skunk sees it, a katydid can fly to escape. But if a bird spots it, there’s trouble. Birds fly, too!
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Eastern
Box Turtle |
An eastern box turtle crawls slowly on the ground. It eats fallen fruits and slow-moving prey, such as slugs, worms, and snails. The yellow design on its shell blends in with the patterns made by sunlight and shadows on the forest floor. If a box turtle senses danger, it can hide in its hard shell.
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| Moth |
A moth is often active at night. It feeds on the nectar of flowers. During the day, it needs a safe place to rest so that skunks, raccoons, lizards, and snakes don’t eat it. The speckled pattern on a moth’s wings can help it hide on a flower.
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Hidden
Hunter |
Camouflage also helps when an animal wants to catch dinner. The animal can sneak up on its prey without being seen.
An alligator lives in swampy areas. Its green and brown skin blends in with the mud, the logs, and the murky water. The alligator lies in wait for small animals, such as turtles, fish, and birds. Then it moves quickly and opens its jaws wide. Snap!
