Camouflage Outline

Camouflage


What is it?
       A method that allows an organism to blend in with its surrounding environment; to “avoid observation” through deception.


How does in occur in nature?
       Animals produce different colors to match their environment in multiple ways.

»Chemically:
Biochromes- A natural pigment in an animal’s body that produces color pigments. The chemical make-up absorbs some colors of light and reflects others. The color of this is a combination of all the visible wavelengths of light that are reflected.

Example- The translucent hairs of a polar bear create their white coloration. Their skin is actually black, when light hits the curved hairs, some is absorbed into the surface of the skin, and the rest is reflected out.
Question- In the dark, are Polar Bears really black? Does this help them to blend into their environment at night?

»Accidentally:
Caterpillars- (in some cases) are green due to their diet. Their blood absorbs chlorophyll from their food.
Sloth- a South American sloth can acquire a greenish coloration because of symbiotic algae that lives on its fur.

How does it differ between species?
    Factors include:
Environment/ Biomes (ie. Forest, Ocean, Desert…)
Climate
Furs, Scales, Feathers, Exoskeletons
Examples of different camouflage: Deer, Sharks, Frogs, Snakes


What are the benefits?
    Survival
»Adaptations
»Natural Selection
  Evolution