The best masters of mimicry. Animals - masters of mimicry (14 photos) Master of mimicry in the world of fauna 8 letters

Photographer wildlife It took Alex Hyde years of scientific training to learn how to find animals that he didn't really want to be found. Alex is not averse to more more people looked at this amazing ability some animals disguise themselves.
Alex Hyde, a biology photography lecturer at the University of Nottingham, travels through the jungle of Madagascar to test his knowledge of zoology.

1. In this image, we see a leaf-tailed gecko hiding on an ivy-covered tree trunk in the jungle of a national park on the Masoala Peninsula, northeastern Madagascar.

2. A spider with long legs disguised itself on the bark of a tree, waiting in ambush for its prey. Photo also taken in national park Masoaly.

3. And this is a frog from rainforest National Park Andasibe-Mantadia in Madagascar. Alex Hyde says: “I never cease to be amazed at how skillfully they manage to disguise. To be able to photograph such an animal, one must clearly know in which places it prefers to hide, in different time days and under various conditions. "

4. “The leaf-tailed gecko is perfectly camouflaged against the background of a tree trunk. Moreover, not only the color of the gecko's skin differs in striking similarity to the bark, but also its texture. If they didn’t have the ability to hide so well, they would have been overfished long ago by predators, destroying the entire population. ”

5. The struggle for survival becomes more severe as the jungle of Madagascar is cleared for timber production. While the island off the coast of Africa remained untouched, it was covered with forests by about 90%. Now only 7%. This frog is called Platepelis Grandis. As we can see, its habitat is dense moss.

6. Over the past half century, Madagascar has lost most of its forests. Legally protected forest areas account for barely 2% of the island's total area, and much of the jungle is still in danger. A hemp-tailed chameleon camouflaged among fallen leaves in the Masaola Peninsula National Park.

7. Most of all Alex is fascinated by his work in Britain, at the University of Nottingham. “The UK also has a lot to brag about when it comes to the history of natural history,” says Alex. The common fish disguises itself as a rocky pond on Mull Island, Scotland.

8. Malaysian orchid mantis hides in a flower in anticipation of some unlucky midge.

9. The striped leaf-tailed gecko sits on dry palm leaves while hunting at night.

10. “If people from time to time looked into the grass under their feet, they would be surprised to learn how many animals live there.

Master of mimicry in the world of fauna

First letter "x"

Second letter "a"

Third letter "m"

The last beech letter "n"

The answer to the question "Master of mimicry in the world of fauna", 8 letters:
chameleon

Alternative crossword questions for chameleon

A nickname for glasses that changes color based on lighting

"Multicolor" lizard

Wood lizard that can change color

A lizard famous for the fact that its coloration can vary greatly depending on the lighting and external conditions

Fickle lizard

For us, this animal is a symbol of cunning and adaptability, and Africans consider it a symbol of calmness and slowness necessary to achieve a goal.

Definition of chameleon in dictionaries

Big Soviet Encyclopedia Definition of the word in the dictionary Great Soviet Encyclopedia
(lat.Chamaeleon), a constellation located near South Pole the world; contains no stars brighter than visual magnitude 4.0. Not visible on the territory of the USSR. See Starry sky.

Wikipedia Definition of a word in the Wikipedia dictionary
Chameleon: Chameleons are a family of lizards. Chameleon - constellation southern hemisphere sky. Chameleon - hypothetical elementary particle... Glasses - "chameleons" - a kind of glasses. Chameleon - Russian musical group... Chameleon is a Russian rapper, better known ...

Explanatory dictionary Russian language. D.N. Ushakov Meaning of the word in the dictionary Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov
chameleon, m. (Greek hamaileon). A reptile with the ability to change the color of its skin upon irritation, color change the environment etc. (zool.). transfer About a person who easily and often changes his opinions, views, sympathies (usually ...

Examples of the use of the word chameleon in literature.

With the swiftness of his transformations, he left behind even chameleon: besides, the chameleon, as they say, is able to take on any color except white, while Alcibiades, whether he saw good or bad examples around, imitated both with the same ease: in Sparta he did not leave the gymnasium, was unassuming and gloomy, in Ionia - effeminate, voluptuous, careless, in Thrace he drunk unrestrainedly, in Thessaly he did not dismount his horse, at the court of the satrap Tissaphernes in luxury, arrogance and splendor he was not inferior even to the Persians, and it is not that he without the slightest effort changed the true failure nature and was transformed in any way in his soul, by no means, but when he noticed that, following his inclinations, he risked causing the displeasure of those around him, he always hid behind any mask that could suit their taste.

Chameleon she even adapted to dozing on the filly's back and began to warn Aimbri from the height of her position that potholes and bumps await her on the way.

There were lizard skins dried in the sun, drupes of an unknown nature, multi-colored stones, shards licked by the sea, pieces of coral, insects nailed to tablets, a fly and a spider in amber, dry chameleon and flasks, where snakes, eels and snakes flopped about, as well as exorbitant scales, most likely whales, a sword, apparently removed from the snout of a fish, and long horn, according to Robert a unicorn, but I am inclined to think that it was taken from a nerve.

Chameleon let out a cry, from which the ears of people wilted, the crocodiles tried to dive in unison, and the little pseudosaurus fell again.

Still the barong and the ngoni hate chameleon because he brought death to people by his slowness.

The owners of the most unusual, the most beautiful and at the same time the most creepy appearance in the world of insects are praying mantises: small triangular head, huge eyes, long, pincer-like, spiked forelimbs and very bright colors, allowing for hiding in flowers and foliage. In addition, the front legs are bent in such a shape as if an insect is praying - hence the name "praying mantis".

Despite such an unusual appearance, praying mantises are excellent camouflages.

For example, the "devil flower" praying mantis imitates one of the subspecies of orchids in its colors. Hidden on a branch under a flower, the praying mantis waits for the victim. A bug that appears near, with lightning speed, is seized by powerful claws. "Devil's Flower" is one of the most large species praying mantises, females can reach 13 cm in length. Therefore, for lunch, larger prey can also get to them - a lizard or a bird.

It also disguises itself as a flower. Unlike the "devil's flower", the African spiny mantis is very small in size - an adult reaches only 38 mm in height. But despite its small size, his appetite is excellent and with age the mantis becomes more and more voracious.

It also has an impressive size - 20 centimeters, but despite this, finding it on a branch is very problematic. Outwardly, it is very similar to a dried leaf - the same monotonous brown or gray color, and there are even veins on the back. So from autumn leaf it simply cannot be distinguished.

Coloration orchid praying mantises varies from white to pink, sometimes these colors can be combined. For an ambush, flowers of orchids, jasmine and papaya are used. They hide so skillfully that it is difficult to distinguish where the insect is and where the real orchid is.

Hunters and victims constantly compete in deadly game- who will be the first to notice, who will be able to deceive? The ability to hide, pretend to be inedible or scary saves the lives of victims. But mimicry also allows hunters to wait for the victim, not to frighten it off in advance, and therefore to survive on their own. Many animals have such abilities, but there are recognized masters among them, some of which we will tell you about.

1. Seahorse

More than 10 million years ago, the needlefish underwent dramatic changes that resulted in the seahorse. He settled in shallow water among the seaweed. Special mobility was not required from the fish, but like everyone else in nature, the skates had enemies and had prey. Nowadays, various species reach 2-30 cm in length, usually located among algae and corals, attaching themselves with a dexterous tail and hanging in the water column. At the same time, the body of the ridge is covered with many growths that allow it to merge with the environment, they are even capable of changing color. Such mimicry hides the skates from predators and food (crustaceans and shrimps). And also these masters have the most interesting way reproduction - a male "becomes pregnant" with them, which has a special pouch on its belly, very similar in function to the female uterus.

If you like these wonderful creatures and you still manage to find and photograph them while doing underwater photography, then do not forget to give your photos to friends who do not have the opportunity to see them with their own eyes. To reproduce these pictures, choose only the highest quality equipment - a good MFP scanner, for example, will provide you with high-quality scanning of photos, which you can then present to your loved ones. Also this useful device useful to you in many other life situations.

2. Flat-tailed Madagascar geckos

Finding these animals is almost impossible. They live in Madagascar, on the branches of trees, where they hunt insects. The gecko has no means of protection other than its art of disguise. Research shows that not only do geckos change color, like chameleons, they are also covered with skin flaps and growths so as to completely mimic mosses and lichens on trees, as well as the bark of branches. Due to their unearthly appearance, these little forest spirits are very popular with terrariums, which is one of the factors behind their extinction in the wild.

3. Giant white-legged

Owl nightjars from Australia have nothing to do with owls. They are only similar in appearance. The differences between these groups of birds are significant - nightjars have weaker and lighter bones, long and weak (compared to an owl) paws. All these differences are due to the fact that nightjars feed on insects, only occasionally can they catch a toad or a small rodent. Moreover, they hunt from an ambush, sitting in a tree on the victims flying by. And they hide from danger simply by freezing and stretching out with their whole body. And it helps - after all, these masters of mimicry have a wonderful patronizing color. It is enough for a giant white-leg to snuggle against a tree trunk, and it will be almost impossible to find it.

4. Fish-stone

Among the coral reefs, you can stumble upon very unpleasant stones. You can distinguish them from completely harmless pieces of coral only by their cold gaze. This is a stone fish, which scientists call one of the most poisonous creatures on our planet. You can meet her in almost any corner. The Pacific... Of particular danger are 13 spikes with a neurotoxin that kills a healthy person in a couple of hours. And about her culinary properties we wrote in the article

5. Chameleon

Chameleons are perhaps the most famous and popular masters of disguise. Everyone knows about their ability to change colors and hunts for prey with a long sticky tongue. But it turns out that the range of color change for all chameleons is different, the colors do not change instantly. Coloring not only allows you to hide, it is also a way of communication. For example, in some species, the colors of females and males are very different, moreover, females use coloring to signal their readiness to mate, or vice versa, about pregnancy. At the same time, young animals usually have the same color as females and acquire characteristic colors only with age. And here protective properties different types chameleons are strictly focused on the habitat and the predators available.

6. Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish are ancient and highly intelligent molluscs. They have the highest brain-to-body weight ratio. The body of the cuttlefish is covered with millions of chromatophores, two hundred for every centimeter of skin. These cells allow her to change colors very quickly. Mimicry is used by these craftsmen for both protection from predators and for hunting. What's more, cuttlefish also have a muscle system that helps mimic the structure of corals and rocks. By the way, as in the case of chameleons, cuttlefish use a color communication system.

Continuing the theme of unusual animal adaptations: