The Art Of Deception Pt 2
There are so many mysteries that are left to be unearthed. The game that evolution has played from the beginning of time has pretty much provided us with its unique charm in something we call adaptation. Resulting, in different behaviour throughout various spectrums that allow us to understand how these exceptional creatures exist the way they do.
So, getting back to the word I made in the previous article, I’m back to enchant you readers with another set of intriguing organisms that are called masters of the art of camouflage and disguise. Unlike, the previous entries mentioned this article isn’t focused on a singular class of organisms like spiders or dragonflies. Here, I’ll be talking about some unique organisms that will blow your mind away.
The Color Shifters
The art of changing colours throughout periods of stress has provided us with great variations among organisms. The prime contenders of such constant colour change in response to their stress and environment are what I call colour shifters.
One of the most common animals that show such behaviour is a chameleon. Chameleons are organisms that have their A-game when it comes to concealing their presence to not only hunt their prey but also to protect themselves from predation, these animals possess chromatophores that help with their ability to change their colour and mask their presence in the wild making them expert predators. These chromatophores contain pigments and also reflect light resulting in different colourations found in these master camouflagers. However, the ability of colour shifting is not limited to the terrestrial world of the living some of the most intriguing creatures living under the blue also possess this wonderful ability to hide from predators and also hunt their prey.
Behold, the Octopus
For all the SpongeBob fans out there, I’m not talking about Squidward who despite his name isn't a squid. Well we are getting astray from the point, this is an actual Octopus
These organisms belong to a broad group known as Cephalopods. Found across all oceans of the world, these mollusks are fast, agile organisms that have an intellect only a few organisms can surpass. They are also intriguing organisms that possess the interesting ability to conceal their presence. Similar to Chameleons, Octopuses also possess Chromatophores, dermal cells that allow for such quick transitions in color changes. These cells are spread across the body, with each cell containing pigments that produce different colors, they are Xanthophores, Erythropores, Iridiophores and Melanophores.
Xanthophores and Erythropores are found in the top layer of the skin, which produces red and yellow colours while Iridiophores possess reflectin, a protein that produces iridescent green, blue, silver and golden colours. Then there are Melanophores that produce brown and black colouration. These pigment-bearing cells provide these intellectual organisms with the ability to shift colours that play a major role in fooling predators and hunting prey.
The Mimics That Ambush
There are certain organisms that possess the ability to change colour in accordance with slight changes in their environment, whether it is the need to avoid predation or catch prey themselves. However, there are some specialists that use the practice called patience in order to get their work done. These organisms can stay motionless in one place for hours, days and even months in the same place to catch prey, this is certainly something most of us won’t be able to do at all, this is the beauty about these organisms while some might perish due to the lack of a certain food source, some will adapt in order to consume other resources or prey in specific time frames. Let us take a look at some of these animals.
Frogfishes are one of my favorites when it comes to the art of disguise, you might have not heard about them yet; however, what am I here for I’ll tell y’all about them. These intriguing fishes have mastered the art of patience to such an extent that they can lie and wait for prey for quite a while.
But if they just lie in wait without chasing their prey how do they catch one in the first place, the answer lies in the picture above of a Hairy Frogfish. If you look closely at its mouth there’s a thick Y-shaped mass on an antenna-type structure present. That’s called an Esca, the Esca acts like a bait that attracts prey who takes the bait for free food except it’s the hunter here that’s being lured in by the Frogfish who then strikes with ferocious speed to catch its prey, that once caught can’t leave the jaws of the predator. They also possess unique formations on their body such as warts, hair, skin flaps, filaments, and stripes that allow for excellent camouflage in plain sight.
Many creatures possess the ability to deceive their predators but in my opinion, there’s one master that certainly might not be on your list. Let’s jump ship to the Hawaiian Archipelago to meet this one. You might have seen caterpillars hanging around trees feasting on the leaves of the plants they are on, but what if I tell you there’s a caterpillar that feeds on insects instead of leaves? Say hello to the insectivorous caterpillar of Eupithecia orichloris.
These caterpillars are otherworldly that have developed the ability to change their diet altogether thanks to the absence of other insectivore predators, these caterpillars can get the first prize for mimicking branches, they have a pretty intriguing way of hunting their prey.
These master ambush predators mimic branches; waiting for prey to pass by, these caterpillars possess 2 abdominal appendages that act as triggers that initiate an attack that the prey does not see coming. Soon the prey is grasped on by the sharp jaws of the predator, who chows down on the helpless prey, alive!!
The ability to mimic certain objects to enhance the ability to hide and blend with their surroundings to improve their chances of catching their prey certainly plays an essential role in an organism’s survival in the wild. This has led to a plethora of variations in certain organisms that results in a single species possessing different patterns and camouflaging the ecosystems they thrive in. Snakes such as the deadly Malabar Pit Viper are a testament to an occurrence of a phenomenon called Polymorphism, what is Polymorphism? you ask readers, don’t worry I’ll tell you all about it. Polymorphism is the occurrence of two or more morphs in a population. It is still unknown to an extent on how and why so many morphs exist in one single ecosystem.
These marvelous creatures are found in the Western Ghats of the Indian Subcontinent. They are pretty patient when it comes to killing their prey, staying in one position for days on end to hunt their prey.
I’ll give you readers a task, next time you go for a walk in your neighboring gardens or parks keep a close eye on the trees near you, you might find an animal waiting in disguise for its prey. You might never know what you might find, treasure troves of pretty intriguing creations of nature are found in patches of nature near you. If you like this article, do like, share and follow my page to learn more amazing things about the ever evolving wild.
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