Masters of Disguise
Some clever creatures use tricks to disguise themselves from predators or prey.
Orkin Masters of Disguise
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Walking Leaf Insect
- What they look like: 2 to 4 inches long, flat and green with wings that look like leaves.
- Where they hide: Trees, bushes and leaves.
- Why they disguise: To hide from predators — some species rock back and forth when they walk to look like leaves blowing in the wind.
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Leaf-nosed Snake
- What they look like: 2 to 3 feet long, brownish-tan and yellow or gray. Males have pointed noses and females have leaf-shaped ones.
- Where they hide: Tree branches
- Why they disguise: To hide while they sneak up on their prey: lizards.
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Stick Bug
- What they look like: Thin black, brown or green bodies, ranging from less than 1 inch to more than 12 inches long.
- Where they hide: Trees and bushes.
- Why they disguise: To escape their predators – like birds, small reptiles and rodents.
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Goldenrod Crab Spider
- What they look like: Bodies can change colors from white to yellow and have red stripes on the abdomen. 1/10 to nearly ½ of an inch in size.
- Where they hide: Yellow and white flowers
- Why they disguise: To become invisible when bees, wasps or other prey land nearby.
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Chameleon
- What they look like: As small as ½ an inch or as large as 27 inches in size. Greenish with long tongues and tails, crests or horns on their heads.
- Where they hide: Trees and bushes
- Why they disguise: To hide from predators and communicate with other chameleons. Light, temperature and even their mood can also change their color.
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Toad
- What they look like: 2 to 6 inches long with short legs. Dry, leathery skin, brown or reddish-brown in color, with olive or gray patches and yellow or white bellies.
- Where they hide: Under rocks, leaves, logs, wood piles, porches and boardwalks.
- Why they disguise: To blend in with their surroundings and hide from predators.
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Forked Fungus Beetle
- What they look like: 1/3 to ½ of an inch long, and brown to black with a pair of horns on their heads.
- Where they hide: Tree bark and fungi
- Why they disguise: To avoid being eaten by their predators.
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Owl Butterfly
- What they look like: 4- to 5½-inch wingspan, with large spots on the underside of their wings that look like owl eyes.
- Where they hide: forests
- Why they disguise: To stay safe from predators like birds and lizards.
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Bird Dung Crab Spider
- What they look like: Less than ½ of an inch long, with two large, strong front legs to grasp prey. Blackish-brown and gray bodies covered in wet blobs and warts that look like bird dung.
- Where they hide: Leaves
- Why they disguise: To catch prey — most species look and smell like bird dung, which attracts flies.
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Nolid Moth Caterpillar
- What they look like: About ½ an inch long, brown and yellow with a large green bulb on top of its head.
- Where they hide: Leaves
- Why they disguise: To avoid being eaten by birds — the green bulb on its head looks like berries that aren't ripe yet.
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Katydid
- What they look like: Most are green, grow to be 1½ to 2½ inches long and have wings that look like leaves.
- Where they hide: Forests and fields
- Why they disguise: To blend in with the leaves of plants and trees in their habitats.
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Orchid Mantis
- What they look like: White bodies, ¾ of an inch to 2¾ inches long with soft or bright pink coloring and legs that look like flower petals.
- Where they hide: Orchids and other bright flowers.
- Why they disguise: To trick prey into thinking they're a flower to eat.
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