Arctic hAre
the Arctic hare is brown
in the summer to match
its surroundings of soil
and shrubs. in the fall, it
sheds its fur and grows
a new white coat,
for camouflage in the
winter snow. the Arctic
fox preys on the Arctic
hare. in winter, the
Arctic fox also has
a white coat
for camouflage.tiger stripes
the tiger is camouflaged by its
stripes, which match the light
and dark patterns of sunlit
grasses. the tiger hunts
mainly by ambush, creeping
stealthily toward its prey in
the undergrowth, and
then charging over
the last few yards.chAmeleon
the chameleon
is famous for
changing its color
and pattern to match
its surroundings. its color
alters when cells in the skin
change size, moving their grains
of color nearer the surface or deeper into the
skin. When the Jackson’s chameleon, shown
here, was taken off its branch, its color changed
from green and yellow to mottled brown. But it
took the chameleon about five minutes to do so.A BUtterFlY that
looks like a flower, a
bird that resembles a log,
a fish that seems as lifeless as a
stone—many animals and plants
survive by blending in with their
surroundings. this is called
camouflage. camouflage includes
color, shape, and patterning. For
example, it is difficult to spy a
newborn deer among the trees
because of its pale brown color and speckled
coat. A dead-leaf mantis is also difficult to see
because of its leaf shape, and a chameleon
can change its color to match the color of its
surroundings. camouflage helps animals hide
from predators. it also helps predators such as
tigers and leopards ambush their prey without
being seen. some animals, such as rabbits, camouflage
themselves by staying absolutely still when in danger,
so their movements do not give them away.stick insect
the spindly stick
insect is very difficult
to recognize among
twigs and branches
because of its shape
and color. it can fold
its thin legs alongside
its body and look even
more like a twig. When
danger threatens, it stays
absolutely still—like a stick.Find out more
Camouflage, animal
CAMOUFLAGE
Chameleon quickly
changes color to
brown when it moves
on to a leafless branch.Chameleon matches
the green coloring of
its leafy branch.Animals
Animal senses
Birds
Fish
insects
lions, tigers,
and other big catsUS_090_Camouflage_Animal.indd 90 20/01/16 4:34 pm