4 Clever Camouflage

Clever Camouflage written by Maria Gill

Some animals use one colour to hide against the backgrounds they live in. A snake's green or brown scales are the same colour as plants. A lion's fur is the same colour as long grass. A beetle's shell is the same colour as the earth. Parrots have feathers that match the leaves on the trees.

Some animals change colour to match different backgrounds. An octopus can change its colour whenever it moves. It is a light colour when it is on the sand in the sea. It changes to a darker colour when it moves onto the rocks.

Some animals change colour when the seasons change. Arctic foxes change their coats twice a year. In summer, their coats are dark, like the brown earth. In winter, their coats are white to match the snow.

Some animals use stripe patterns to look like their backgrounds. Zebras' wavy lines look just like wavy grass. The zebras' enemy, the lion, is colour-blind. When zebras stand together, they look like one large, striped pattern.

Some animals use spot patterns to hide against the backgrounds they live in. Leopards use spots to blend into the shady spots under a tree. A butterfly fish has a large spot on the end of its tail that looks like an eye. This makes it look bigger to trick its enemies.