Mimicking a boring background object, like a leaf or bird dropping, was the most effective, increasing predator search times by nearly 300 percent.
Camouflage is generally effective at making the hunt difficult for predators, increasing their search time by more than 62 percent and dropping the rate they attack prey by more than 27 percent across the board, the team found.
The masquerade strategy was especially effective at helping prey elude predators, increasing search time by nearly 300 percent. One of the most striking examples of this, says de Alcantara Viana, are caterpillars that disguise themselves as twigs. A study on brimstone moth caterpillars and chickens showed that the birds take longer to attack masquerading caterpillars after being recently exposed to twigs.
de Alcantara Viana and his colleagues think masquerading is so effective because it’s so specialized, with animals impersonating specific objects, compared with other strategies based on blending in against an irregular background. Prey that masquerade benefit from the predator misidentifying them as real objects in the environment, not just failing to detect the prey.
Another notable finding from the new analysis is that most studies have been conducted in the Northern Hemisphere, Hughes says. “I think it is clear that our understanding of the evolution of camouflage strategies is going to be, by definition, incomplete unless more studies are carried out in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The 2023 Chrysler 300C Is a Tire-Smoking, 6.4-Liter Hemi V-8 Mic DropThis SRT8-adjacent 300 welcomes you to the end of the 300.
Read more »
Russia-Ukraine live updates: 300 settlements liberated in Kharkiv Oblast: UkraineThe Ukrainian Armed Forces says it liberated more than 300 settlements in Kharkiv Oblast.
Read more »
Nearly 300 Demand South Korea Probe Their Adoptions AbroadFor 40 years, Louise Kwang thought she was an orphan baby found on the streets of the South Korean city of Busan before her adoption by Danish parents in 1976. She felt her entire sense of identity collapse in 2016 when she found out that wasn't true. ...
Read more »
Chrysler to End Production of 300 Sedan After Rolling Out Limited Edition V-8 ModelThe 2023 Chrysler 300C will be powered by a 6.4-liter V-8 Hemi engine that produces 485 horsepower and 475 foot-pounds of torque.
Read more »
Nearly 300 demand South Korea probe their adoptions abroadSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — For 40 years, Louise Kwang thought she was an orphan baby found on the streets of the South Korean port city of Busan before her adoption to Danish parents in 1976. She felt her entire sense of identity collapse in 2016 when her South Korean agency matter-of-factly acknowledged that her origin story was fiction aimed at ensuring her adoptability.
Read more »