Nature has its own strong ways of protecting itself and its inhabitants. One of these ways we could term as camouflage. Camouflage is the ability of an organism to blend with its surrounding environment so well that it cannot be spotted until and unless it gives out some obvious signs of it being there. It is a way that certain animals resort to protect themselves from predators. The most basic one would be the chameleon. But, there are some amazing camouflages that are more complex in nature that we do not know of. So, sharpen your knowledge by reading through the top 10 amazing animal camouflages penned down below.

10.Stone Fish

The scientific name of the stone fish is Synanceia. It is usually found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It is very venomous and dangerous in  nature. Its sting can be fatal at times. Its method of camouflage is hiding amidst stones. It matches itself against gray coloured stones. It cannot be spotted as its grey body merges perfectly well with the grey stones. As it cannot be easily seen, it is usually stepped upon by humans and then it results in stinging. Its sting is proportional to the amount of pressure applied to it.

9.Baron’s Caterpillar

The scientific name of this creature is Euthalia Aconthea Gurda. It is native to South East Asia, especially spotted in parts of India. This Caterpillar is 4 mm when it is initially born and grows up to a maximum of 45 mm till the time it evolves to its 4th or 5th stage. It has big spikes and its appearance in terms of colour and texture resembles that of a leaf. It very well succeeds in camouflaging itself hiding between leaves to protect itself from becoming prey.

8.Pygmy Seahorse

Pygmy sea horses are very difficult to spot. The fact that they were discovered as late as 1969 and only 6 of them were spotted till the year 2000. They are around 27 mm in size. They are found between the depth of 33-130 feet. The Pygmy Seahorse is found usually in Australia, Indonesia and Japan.

7.Tawny Frogmouth

No, it is not a frog as the name suggests. It is in real an owl. Though nocturnal these owls camouflage themselves well against barks and branches of trees even during day time. They are usually found in Australia. Their bodies are different shades of brown with the appearance of its feathers giving a feel of a texture as rough as barks of trees. They usually eat insects and hence they hunt in lit up areas at night, for example-the headlights of cars.

6.Leafy Sea Dragon

Its scientific name is Plycodurus Eques. The leafy Sea dragon looks like the sea horse. Its body has leaf like extensions attached to it. It is around 13.8 inches in size. It is native to Australia. Its leaf like extensions help it to hide and camouflage itself amongst the marine flora.

5.Underwing Moth

Native to North America, the underwig moth has around 200 species of it that have been discovered. As its name suggests it has 2 pairs of wings. The outer pair of wings is usually a shade of brown that helps it to camouflage itself while it rests on barks and branches of trees. The lower pair of wings in a bright orange or red in colour.

4.Merlet’s Scorpion fish

The Merlet’s Scorpionfish is called by a variety of names like weedy scorpion fish, lacy scorpion fish etc. It is usually called Lacy because of its unusual shape. It has tentacles and slash flaps. It usually merges well with coral reefs and marine flora. It can stay still for hours and this makes it hard to detect its presence. Though it stays still for hours it can attack its prey as soon and quick as it spots it.

3.Dead Leaf Butterfly

This butterfly’s scientific name is Kallima Inachus. It is usually seen in Asia mostly in India and Japan. The wings of this butterfly look like leaves in terms of colour, structure and texture. The colour may differ as per the colour a plant leaf sports in different stages of decomposition. So next time you see a dead and dry leaf do look a second time. It may not be a leaf at all, it could be the dead leaf butterfly.

2.Leaf Tailed Gecko

The Leaf Tailed Gecko is a native of Madagascar. As per its name, it again is a creature that merges well between the leaves of trees usually a shade of brown(the shade matching that of dried leaves), this creature also has a tail that looks like a dry leaf. It is very difficult to spot. It usually rests on barks and branches of trees to protect itself from its predators and to hunt insects for itself.

1.The Mimic Octopus

If the above camouflages have succeeded in making awing you, you’s rather gape if you heard about the Mimic Octopus. Let me tell you what the mimic octopus is called-The champion of camouflage. Its scientific name is Thaumoctopus Mimicus. It can match any colour, texture, size, shape and pattern. It can do this due to its pigment sacs called chromatophores.