#camouflaged

[littlepawz]

Owls are known as lonely birds; but it is not known that they have the forest as their best friend!

–~Mehmet Murat İldan~

[kimberly40]

Amazing! This is a Camouflaged Looper, a Caterpillar That Makes Its Own Flower “Costume”. To avoid predators, Camouflaged Loopers adorn themselves with fragments of the plant they are feeding on! They’ll clip off flower parts and bits of leaves with their mouth and then attach them to their back with silk.

If you’re observant (and a bit lucky), you can find them in fields and woodland edges from spring to early autumn. They feed on a wide variety of plants, including the leaves of goldenrod, coneflowers and blackberries.

When they moult or switch host plants, they’ll even do a costume change to match the new plant.

Camouflaged Loopers turn into Wavy-lined Emerald Moths.

🐛 Learn more at: https://blog.nature.org/2023/05/08/the-camouflaged-looper-this-inchworm-makes-its-own-flower-costume/

[onenicebugperday]

Orache moth, Trachea atriplicis, Noctuidae

Photographed in France by Matthieu Berroneau

Shared with permission; do not remove credit or re-post!

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Yellowjacket-Mimicking Moth: this is just a harmless moth that mimics the appearance and behavior of a yellowjacket/wasp; its disguise is so convincing that it can even fool actual wasps

This species (Myrmecopsis polistes) may be one of the most impressive wasp-mimics in the world. The moth's narrow waist, teardrop-shaped abdomen, black-and-yellow patterning, transparent wings, smooth appearance, and folded wing position all mimic the features of a wasp. Unlike an actual wasp, however, it does not have any mandibles or biting/chewing mouthparts, because it's equipped with a proboscis instead, and it has noticeably "feathery" antennae.

There are many moths that use hymenopteran mimicry (the mimicry of bees, wasps, yellowjackets, hornets, and/or bumblebees, in particular) as a way to deter predators, and those mimics are often incredibly convincing. Myrmecopsis polistes is one of the best examples, but there are several other moths that have also mastered this form of mimicry.

Above: Pseudosphex laticincta, another moth species that mimics a yellowjacket

These disguises often involve more than just a physical resemblance; in many cases, the moths also engage in behavioral and/or acoustic mimicry, meaning that they can mimic the sounds and behaviors of their hymenopteran models. In some cases, the resemblance is so convincing that it even fools actual wasps/yellowjackets.

Above: Pseudosphex laticincta

Such a detailed and intricate disguise is unusual even among mimics. Researchers believe that it developed partly as a way for the moth to trick actual wasps into treating it like one of their own. Wasps frequently prey upon moths, but they are innately non-aggressive toward their own fellow nest-mates, which are identified by sight -- so if the moth can convincingly impersonate one of those nest-mates, then it can avoid being eaten by wasps.

Above: Pseudosphex laticincta

I gave an overview of the moths that mimic bees, wasps, yellowjackets, hornets, and bumblebees in one of my previous posts, but I felt that these two species (Myrmecopsis polistes and Pseudosphex laticincta) deserved to have their own dedicated post, because these are two of the most convincing mimics I have ever seen.

Above: Pseudosphex sp.

I think that moths in general are probably the most talented mimics in the natural world. They have so many intricate, unique disguises, and they often combine visual, behavioral, and acoustic forms of mimicry in order to produce an uncanny resemblance.

Several of these incredible mimics have already been featured on my blog: moths that mimic jumping spiders, a moth that mimics a broken birch twig, a moth caterpillar that can mimic a snake, a moth that disguises itself as two flies feeding on a pile of bird droppings, a moth that mimics a dried-up leaf, a moth that can mimic a cuckoo bee, and a moth that mimics the leaves of a poplar tree.

Moths are just so much more interesting than people generally realize.

Sources & More Info:

Journal of Ecology and Evolution: A Hypothesis to Explain Accuracy of Wasp Resemblances

Entomology Today: In Enemy Garb: A New Explanation for Wasp Mimicry

iNaturalist: Myrmecopsis polistes and Pseudosphex laticincta

Transactions of the Entomological Society of London: A Few Observations on Mimicry

[hometoursandotherstuff]

[canisalbus]

Machete would be the saddest wettest worm on a string

Pictured here in his natural habitat.

[tenth-sentence]

In pairs they galloped by, and though every now and then one rose in his stirrups and gazed ahead and to either side, they appeared not to perceive the three strangers sitting silently and watching them.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" - J.R.R. Tolkien

[bottle-of-harpoons]

Headcannon: Silver is the whitest boi

Blaze made him a jumper because she's tired of losing him all the time.

[meddlingstarks]

Can you believe they had the nerve, the gall, the gumption to cut when book Peeta says “You here to finish me off, sweetheart?”, one of the most iconic lines that established his flirty personality and cute banter with Katniss?? He’s literally in immense pain, dying from a leg injury, buried under a wall of mud that’s infecting the wound, and still has the energy to tease her. Not to mention the innuendo, come on.

[shopping490490]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165962616737 #hat #cap #forsale #topoftheworld #psu #camouflaged #gift #holiday #collectibles #checkitout #musthave https://linktr.ee/shopping490490 #ebay #mercari #shopify #etsy #poshmark #bonanzamarket #twitter #tumblr #facebook #instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CpQruxvpda-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[montereybayaquarium]

Little red octopus 🐙❤️

These little red octopus are sea-ternly the masters of disguise, thanks to their ability to change color and texture to blend seamlessly with their surroundings. Check out those inkredible hiding skills!

[gotitcovereddesigns]

Camouflage themed blanket now live! Link in bio! #camo #camouflage #camouflaged #camp #camping #campvibes #army #armylife #armylover #armycamp #campinglife #campingtrip #campinggear #woodland #customblanket #blanket #blankets #gift #giftidea #giftideas #giftbox #giftsforher #giftsforhim #giftsforfriends (at Lincoln, Lincolnshire) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cno2AnJt6DA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[onenicebugperday]

Lichen-mimic orbweaver, Araneus seminiger, Araneidae

Found primarily in Taiwan and Japan

Photos 1-3 by muyaocraft, 4 by pochung, 5 by papilioshih, 6-8 by dhugallindsay, and 9 (for scale) by jamesmifan

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Brenthia Moths: these moths can mimic the appearance and mannerisms of a jumping spider so convincingly that actual jumping spiders will sometimes attempt to court them

The markings, posture, and movements of a Brenthia moth (genus Brenthia, also known as a metalmark moth) all contribute to its disguise; the moths move around in short, jerky motions that mimic the movements of a jumping spider, and their hindwings are covered in black-and-white bands that strongly resemble the tucked-in legs of a salticiid spider, especially when the moth displays its unique wing position. The disguise serves as a defensive strategy, enabling the moth to avoid being preyed upon by actual jumping spiders.

In some cases, that disguise may work a little too well, as jumping spiders may actually mistake the moth for a potential mate and then attempt to engage it in a courtship/mating dance (which must be a pretty awkward and bizarre experience for the moth, tbh).

The resemblance between a Brenthia moth and a jumping spider may not seem terribly convincing to us, as human beings, but as this article explains:

When discussing animals mimicking their predator, it is important to remember that we humans are not the target audience. This means that the imitator may not look too convincing in its mimicry to us, but still manages to trigger a desired response from said predator.

Jumping spiders have also been known to respond to Brenthia moths by exhibiting a territorial display, which is yet another behavior that the spiders generally reserve for other spiders.

This study expands on the adaptive benefits of the moth's disguise:

In controlled trials, Brenthia had higher survival rates than other similarly sized moths in the presence of jumping spiders and jumping spiders responded to Brenthia with territorial displays, indicating that Brenthia were sometimes mistaken for jumping spiders, and not recognized as prey.

The illustration below shows the basic/general resemblance between a Brenthia moth and a jumping spider:

Sources & More Info:

New Scientist: Moth's Disguise is so Good, Spiders Love it Instead of Eating it

Animal Behaviour: Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

Science: This Moth Could Pass for a Spider

PLOS ONE Journal: Metalmark Moths Mimic their Jumping Spider Predators

Gil Wizen: Jumping Spider Mimicry in Brenthia Moths

Moths of North Carolina: Brenthia pavonacella

[laughingsquid]

How Animals Use Camouflage to Fool the Eyes of Predators and Prey

[canisalbus]

wanted to voice my appreciation for how angular machete is, and how he gets even more angular when he's displeased

He's a little bit like that one owl that gets pointy when threatened.