Masters of camouflage: How tigers, chameleons, octopus and other wildlife vanish in plain sight

The ability of animals to blend into the background of their habitats is truly phenomenal and it runs across the entire animal kingdom. The rationale is simple: avoid being eaten (prey) and remain hidden while hunting (predator). Thus, the tiger’s stripes, like black flames, and the leopard’s gorgeous rosettes keep them concealed in the high, dry grasses from big-eyed deer until they sneak within striking distance.

Powerful pythons, thick as a sumo wrestler’s thighs are gorgeously patterned and dappled to render them invisible on the forest floor where they lie in wait for a foolish animal or bird to drop by. The evil-faced, slit-eyed vine snake adopts the posture of a green stalk so perfectly, take your eyes off it for a second and it seemingly vanishes. So many people have inadvertently stepped on cobras and vipers without spotting them and even the big mugger crocodiles lying doggo in their marshes just vanish until they burst out in a welter of spray and snapping jaws.

The most famous shape-shifters in the reptile world are, of course, the chameleons. India has only one species – Madagascar holds the world monopoly. They are renowned for their ability to change their color and texture as the occasion demands. They may be leaf-green or lava-red, their skin carunculated to match the bark of the trees they are on, stalking their victims, step by deliberate step. It’s as useful for hunting as it is to render them invisible from hunting raptors.

Birds too have their camouflage ustads – rose-ringed parakeets will play the disappearing game (and maintain radio silence) while raiding a lychee or mango or guava orchard. Even the flamboyant peacock, with its huge tapestry train, vanishes uncannily into the forest, slinking away at the first sign of danger. Try to winkle out a brown-faced or little green barbet heralding summer from a dark-foliaged mango tree and guarantee it won’t be easy.

Honing your spotting skills regularly is as necessary as frequent net-practice is for cricketers. Time and again I’ve been told, ‘there…there…there…it’s just there, can’t you see?’ and stare and glower as you might, you come up with nothing! Of course, it would be of help if the spotter can give you more precise details rather than vaguely point and say ‘there…there…just there!’ but that’s what happens most of the time.

The insect world is full of con-artists. The Indian oakleaf butterfly looks exactly like an oak leaf and will lie on the ground at an angle pretending it has just fallen off the tree. Even caterpillars play hide and seek. The caterpillars of many swallowtails resemble bird droppings, their parents knowing full well that caterpillars are a baby bird’s favorite full-protein meal, but hey which parent bird would feed its fledgling with bird droppings? The praying mantis wears several disguises: some are green as the stalks they lie in ambush on, others like the pearl white orchid mantis is even more beautiful than the orchid it imitates, drawing bees to it. As a bee comes whirring by, those deadly barbed arms whip out in a lethal embrace and the poor bee finds its head being chewed off before it knows what’s what. A shield bug I once encountered on a rosebush resembled the rose leaves so perfectly, I only detected its presence when it moved.

The creatures that inhabit the intertidal zone and the deep ocean are past masters in remaining unseen. Recently, sitting by a tide-pool, I thought I saw the sand at the bottom of the shallow pool shift… I pinned my binoculars to the spot and waited. Nothing…then a slight disturbance again and slowly very slowly, the outlines of a crab emerged like a ghost making itself visible. It gained confidence and shook off the sand on its carapace, which was exactly the same color and began moving in its usual crablike gait. But it had sky-blue pincers which it waved around, wary of danger – most likely it was a blue swimming crab.

Leading this lot are of course, the cuttlefish and octopus. Both can not only change their colors as quickly as a politician does parties, but even the texture of their skins, be it smooth or gnarled, depending on the background. The change of colors (browns, oranges and reds) uses special cells called chromatophores while the iridescent blues, greens and purples are caused by crystal stacks called iridophores which reflect light. Hormonal changes trigger seasonal changes in color in animals like Arctic foxes.

In the old days, soldiers dressed in vibrant uniforms (like IPL players) so they didn’t shoot the home team in the heat of battle. Then, came camouflage uniforms. I’m now waiting for AI to help us merge into the background and turn us into ghosts.