Episode 182 – Camouflage

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Blending in with the environment is an incredibly useful skill, so it’s no surprise so many animals have evolved so many methods of doing it. This episode, we discuss the diversity and evolution of Camouflage.

In the news
New insights into adaptations that helped trilobites curl up
Octopus DNA hints at changes in ancient Antarctic ice
Rare case of soft tissue preservation in a deep sea crab
A new baleen whale and a long history of giant southern whales

Now You See Me…

Camouflage is an umbrella term that describes various strategies that help an organism avoid being detected or recognized by others. This phenomenon is extremely widespread across life on Earth, a good indicator of just how useful it can be for predators and prey alike.

Top left: A flower flounder showing off a great example of crypsis, coloration that helps it blend in with the seafloor. Image by Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0
Top right: A leopard’s spots are a form of disruptive coloration, breaking up the otherwise cat-shaped outline of them. Image by Lukas Kaffer, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bottom left: A snowy owl’s black spots are considered distractive markings, spots that draw attention away from the overall owl itself. Image by Bill Bouton, CC BY-SA 2.0
Bottom right: Some species of fish, like this conger eel larva, skip color altogether and blend in by being mostly transparent. Image by Kils, CC BY-SA 3.0

Most forms of camouflage involve blending in with the surroundings in some way or another. This can include color patterns or physical textures on animals (or plants!) that make them difficult to spot on a similar background; this is called crypsis. Other species might have disruptive patterns, colors or shapes that make it difficult for animals to notice their body outline. Still others employ forms of “masquerade” or mimicry, evolving features that make them look like something they’re not. Plenty of camouflage serves to hide organisms from the sight of others, but there are also strategies that mask an organism’s scent or sound.

Top left: This decorator crab covers itself in anemones, carrying around bits of its surroundings to conceal its body. Image by Nick Hobgood, CC BY-SA 3.0
Top right: This dead leaf butterfly is an incredible example of masquerade, resembling an object of little interest to animals looking for butterflies. Image by Quartl, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bottom left: Countershading, the pattern of being darker on top and lighter on bottom, is often considered a form of camouflage that obscures the normal pattern of shadows on an animal’s body. This is seen in many aquatic and terrestrial species. Image by Fbattail, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bottom right: Another example of masquerade: an aptly-named leafy seadragon.
Image by Derek Ramsey, CC BY-SA 2.5

Camouflage can be difficult to detect in fossils, since it so often involves tissues that don’t preserve well. There are, however, some exciting examples. Many of these are fossil insects, preserved in sediment or amber, including leaf-shaped katydids and lacewing larvae with adaptations for carrying around debris (bits of plant litter) to hide themselves. Some fossils preserve remains of pigmentation, revealing ancient color patterns that can be linked to camouflage, as has been reported in some fossil fish and dinosaurs. In some cases, a fossil animal’s camouflage strategy can help us understand its habitat.

Fossil lacewing larvae preserved in Cretaceous amber performed “debris-carrying” behavior. Spines on their bodies would hold onto bits of plants, dirt, and other objects. These camouflage adaptations are seen in many living insects as well.
Left: A preserved larva. Right: Artist’s reconstruction of the “naked” (no debris) larva.
Images from Wang, et al., 2016
One extraordinary specimen of the dinosaur Psittacosaurus preserves pigmentation patterns that allowed researchers and artists to reconstruct the color patterns it had in life, including a degree of countershading and spotted coloration. These patterns are commonly seen in modern animals living in forested environments.
Image from Vinther et al. 2016, CC BY 4.0

Learn More

Camouflage, 2019 (technical, open access)
Camouflage in predators, 2020 (technical, open access)

Psittacosaurus: a camouflaged dinosaur

Medicinal Plant May Have Evolved Camouflage to Evade Humans

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