I promise you there's a cuttlefish on
the screen can you see it oh wait while
hiding from predators may seem pretty
basic there is much more to it than
meets the eye the camouflage affords
real
protection there's a big fish here can
to see it these organisms have a huge
range of adaptations and tactics to make
sure Predators just slink on by now can
you see it these are the animals you'll
likely never see these are the masters
of
[Music]
camouflage hi I'm Aria AER and you're
watching animal logic second nature
camouflage is one of the most widespread
forms of defense against predators when
it comes to hiding in the wild nature is
never short on creativity this video was
made in collaboration with Planet wild
stick around to the end of the episode
to learn more or click here to watch
their video about saving little
flows animals use different methods of
camouflage to blend in and avoid
becoming lunch like The Dazzle
camouflage used by giraffes the ultra
black camouflage used by deep sea fish
color matching with the environment used
by animals like the snow leopard or even
transparency used by the comb jelly
there are so many MVPs when it comes to
hiding in plain sight but these are some
of our favorite cam mode Critters but
you can't see them things can be real
without without being visible camouflage
or cryptic coloration is used both as a
defense mechanism and as an attack
tactic thousands and thousands of
species of insects birds mammals spilop
pods and other creatures use these
adaptations today we're talking about
prey that use camouflage to avoid being
gobbled up by Predators otherwise known
as anti-predator adaptation it's a
master of camouflage relying upon
invisibility not only as a mean of
protection but to assist in seizing its
unsuspecting prey these species blend in
with their environment to avoid giving
away their location identity and
movements and there are many ways that
species will use camouflage to avoid
detection some use memesis disguising
themselves as something that's of no
interest to Predators like the giant
Leaf tailed gecko this tree dwelling
lizard which calls Madagascar home gets
its name from the broad flat tail posts
that looks just like the leaf of a tree
the 14 species of leaf tailed geckos all
look vastly different depending on the
trees they inhabit the mossy leaf tailed
gecko for example looks like it's
covered in Moss like other geckos if the
tail gets snapped off by a predator it
can regrow it like we do a clip toenail
to avoid detection entirely the giant
Leaf tailed gecko also uses a flap along
the length of the underside of its body
to flatten itself to the tree in order
to not cast a shadow this is actually
another method of camouflage called
concealment of Shadow which helps a
three-dimensional creature look
two-dimensional against its perfectly
matched backdrop a longtime resident is
the sea horse with his grasping tail he
clings to a plant and feeds on drifting
Plankton species like pyy seahorses
disguise themselves to blend in with
surrounding coral and are as adorable as
they are stealthy
part of the sigap family and living in
the coral triangle of Southeast Asia
there are currently seven known species
of pyy seahorses finding these seven
species is a massive feat since these
mini mimics are bored to be hard to spot
makes you wonder how many others are out
there hiding among the
corals another expertly covert member of
the camo happy sna family is the Leafy
Sea Dragon found off the coast of South
and Western Australia
this sea dragon Blends in perfectly with
the surrounding seaweed and if looking
like aquatic foliage wasn't camo enough
they can also change color under certain
conditions to blend in even
better which brings us to the next way
that creatures can camouflage themselves
active or adaptive camouflage these
creatures can quickly adapt their
appearance to fit into their
surroundings as they move through their
environment the most famous of the
active camo creatures is a of course the
Master of Disguise the octopus an
octopus is not a slimy horror but a
swift colorful creature which moves with
effortless ease as it slides smoothly
down to its layer beneath the
stones octopus can color change thanks
to specialized cells called
chromatophores located just below the
surface of their skin the center of each
chromator cell contains a sack of
pigment in colors like black brown
orange or yellow to change color each
sack stretches or shrinks to give the
right Hue not only can octopus change
color they can also change texture
projections on the skin called Pap
adjust to create textures ranging from
smooth to bumpy when you have as many
predators as a delicious octopus like
moray eels fish seals whales sea otters
and birds you need to be able to quickly
disappear into the background some
species like the mimic octopus can even
imitate other creatures to intimidate
potential Predators like when they
impersonate a Venom tipped lion fish or
a poisonous sea snake they'll also use
the same copycat skills to better hide
in Open Water where they are the most
vulnerable like when they imitate the
camouflag and movement of a flounder
swimming across the seaf Flor cuttlefish
which are seapods in the same class as
octopus are perhaps even more extreme
when it comes to color changing
now it's getting Stripes like a zebra
the leopard can't change its spots and
the zebra can't change its stripes but
this cuttlefish is a little trickier
than that not a very handsome animal
with 200 chomat Force per square mm the
resolution on these cuddlefish is higher
than any TV you've ever seen in a
fraction of a second a cuddlefish can
seem to disappear which is the perfect
way to elude W be
Predators back on land there is another
famous color changer your probably
thinking of but the reasons behind why
they change colors is actually a
misconception unlike their underwater
counterparts chameleons actually change
color not to evade Predators but rather
to Dazzle during courtship in their
relaxed State chameleons will appear
green or brown but get them excited like
with the promise of attracting a mate
and their brighter colors will start
shining through the brighter the colors
and the faster they appear the hotter
than male at least that's what female
chameleons believe but the cleverest of
all is the chameleon CU he can change
his color to match any background I
think we've got
him hey what got a way yet another and
slightly more quirky approach to staying
out of sight is to hide under a pile of
crap called self- decoration this is a
tactic used to completely blend in with
the actual environment the aptly named
decorator crab is the perfect example of
of this Behavior their shells are
covered in velcro like hairs that are
perfect for arts and crafts they will
stick sponges anemones corals seaweed
and any other object that will help them
blend into the environment some will
even use stinky or toxic things to keep
Predators at B are you trying to tell me
that I smell oh no Homer I smell you
stink lace larve have a similar coverup
strategy they use the remains of the
aphids they eat as well as like plant
debris and even their own poop to create
an inconspicuous trash Heap that no
Predator would be vaguely interested in
octopus will also sometimes use a form
of self- decoration to hide from
predators they have occasionally been
spotted holding two halves of a coconut
shell around themselves as they creep
along the open ocean
floor I want one the first thing we must
do is explain the Paradox of this
scientist trying to learn about nature
with in the four walls of his laboratory
isn't there a complete opposition
between real Limitless uncontrolled
nature on the one hand and the abstract
confined controlled world of the
laboratory on the other a difficult
question yes seasonal variation
sometimes also known as snow camouflage
is another way that animals hide in
their environment these arctic animals
turn from Brown in the summer to snowy
white in the winter Arctic hair heres
and carigans use this tactic to avoid
Predators all year round allowing them
to blend in during any season their
predators include the arctic fox which
also employs Snow camouflage to avoid
their predators like wolves bears and
golden eagles with seasonal variation
there is always a risk that they will
transition before the season itself
changes making them stick out like a
sore thumb and be more susceptible to
predation climate change presents
additional issues for these color
changing birds and mammals causing even
more potential mismatches between summer
and winter
coloration another variation of this
method of hiding in plain sight is that
of color matching otherwise known as
background matching this one is used by
so many creatures like the wraparound
spider an Australian species of orb
weaver spider when it's not on its web
in the evening this spider flattens
itself down and wraps itself around
branches to stay hidden in daylight as
with many other species this spider
employs not just one but two methods of
camo to increase the chances it'll go
undetected also taking advantage of
concealment of Shadow with that pancake
shape the caterpillar of the common
Baron butterfly native to India and
Southeast Asia similarly seems to
disappear into the foliage it sits on
the line along its back is meant to help
it blend in with the center vein of the
leaves of the mango and cashew nut trees
that it lives in and also snacks on
being imperceptible to Predators greatly
increases the chances that these
caterpillars will one day turn into
beautiful
butterflies back underwater The Flounder
has adapted so well to hiding on the
Sandy seafloor that even its eyes have
shifted position The lowely Flounder
which abounds in many areas of the world
is the leading camouflage expert
flounder describes a whole host of flat
fish in the order plon neoras while they
are born symmetrical with an eye on each
side of their head and swimming upright
within a few days they start leaning to
the side and their lower eye slowly
starts to migrate to the top eventually
the lower eye will pop over and both
eyes will appear side by side on one
side of the flounder's head the bottom
side then loses its coloration while the
upper side perfectly matches the seaf
Flor around it these fish will spend the
remainder of their lives just a few
centimet from the bottom like the
wraparound spider living so close to the
seafloor also allows flounders to take
advantage of concealment of shadow in
addition to blending in with their
surroundings although a predator in its
own right the robin-sized eastern
screech owl also employs background
matching to avoid being prayed upon
being so we screech owls also have to
watch out for many predators like the
larger snowy owl great horned owl and
great gray owl but also even a few
mammals like skunks and raccoons to
avoid detection the scch owl's plumage
perfectly matches the bark and wood of
the trees it hangs out in if it senses
danger it'll sit perfectly still and
close its giant peepers to help it
vanish into the background similarly the
appropriately named Little Owl is also
excellent at blending in as one of the
smallest owls in the world Little Owls
need to do whatever they can to avoid
being eaten by larger owls Falcons
buzzards Eagles and kites The Little Owl
features modeled brown and white plumage
that helps it disappear into the
background of its environment at a
moment's notice the little owl's
coloration protects it from predators
and hides it from prey but their
populations are suffering from a threat
even greater than large birds of prey
habitat destruction large farming
projects and Forest destruction have
caused their prey in areas to disappear
which have caused Little Owl populations
to collapse in some areas that's where
our friends from planet wild come in and
we are here to help at the beginning of
breeding season to bring The Little Owl
back to its old habitat Marcus and the
team at Planet wild are fighting for The
Little Owl and working hard to restore
their populations in Germany one of the
places where they're disappearing I
think it's undeniably the cutest bir at
least in Europe Planet wild is an
amazing organization that works on
environmental projects all over the
world theyve recently partnered up with
the local organization that's restoring
Little Owl habitats and bringing in
Little Owl families to rewi these areas
so much planning investment and hard
work goes into these projects the whole
family is in the avar now that means
family Rew Wilding is in full motion
let's take a
look look at them they're so
small it's a huge project so please
click here or on the link in the
description to check out their video
about it subscribe to their Channel
leave a comment saying that I sent you
and you might want to consider becoming
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watch their other videos and support
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sources is another favorite of mine if
you like animal logic you are going to
love Planet wild animals never cease to
Fascinate with all the incredible ways
they've adapted to stay alive what are
some of your favorite camouflaging
creatures let me know in the comments
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[Music]
will what's going on around here what is
this anyway did it again let's try this
one oh no you don't I know one that'll
catch
[Applause]
him okay you got me
yeah I give
up so what's up anyway well I was using
you as the perfect example of
concealment in nature