Natural Phenomena
Camouflage
Also Known As Crypsis
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
Camouflage is the use of coloration, pattern or behavior to conceal an animal, either by matching its surroundings or by disguising it as something else. Mechanisms include background matching, disruptive coloration that breaks up an outline, countershading (dark above, light below, to cancel the shadow cast by overhead light) and active color change in animals such as octopuses and chameleons.
Facts
ScaleIndividual organism, from pigment cells in the skin to whole-body coloration and behavior 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Demonstrated By
The polar bear's white coat is a classic background-matching camouflage against snow and ice.
Sources
1. Camouflage (Wikipedia)
WikipediaQuote
The majority of camouflage methods aim for crypsis, often through a general resemblance to the background, high contrast disruptive coloration, eliminating shadow, and countershading.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.