Masking of animals consists in a combination of coloring, a form and behavior. It makes an animal less noticeable against the background of the environment. Masking is applied as a security measure from attack and as an opportunity to creep imperceptibly to the victim. Ways of masking at animals are very different.
Kriptichesky coloring
Kriptichesky coloring is a color at which the animal almost completely merges with a surrounding background. The animals having a green color live in a green grass – lizards, caterpillars. Animals with a yellow or brown color are inhabitants of deserts – a desert locust, a saiga.
Many animal species change coloring seasonally. The alpine hare has purely in the winter - white fur, except for black tips of ears. Coloring of summer fur at an alpine hare varies from reddish-gray to gray. Interesting fact: in areas where there is no steady snow cover, the alpine hare does not grow white in the winter.
In the course of individual development of an organism some animals completely change coloring. For example, newborn puppies of seals have a white color of fur. At the grown-up cubs the color completely changes. Some animal species can change coloring according to color of a background. Such coloring is reached by redistribution of pigments in body skin chromatophores. Chromatophores are the cages containing a pigment. Chromatophores are available for Amphibia, fishes, reptiles, Crustacea and cephalopods. Such way of masking is called physiological change of color. Octopuses, chameleons, a flounder can change color of coloring. Kriptichesky coloring is usually combined with reception of maintaining immovability. Animals instantly fade, using a grass, branches or a bush as the shelter. The background of the shelter is chosen suitable to an animal color.
The Dizruptivny or dismembered coloring
This type of coloring differs in existence of strips and spots, contrast on color. Dizruptivny coloring breaks visual perception of a contour of a body thanks to what the animal becomes invisible against the background of light and shade. The dismembered coloring can be combined with kriptichesky, that is color of spots in coloring of an animal coincides with a surrounding background. Dizruptivny coloring is peculiar to butterflies, bugs, lizards, chipmunks, zebras, tigers, leopards.
The concealing coloring
The concealing coloring is an effect of an antishadow, that is brightly lit parts of the body on a color more dark, than a little lit. At such color of an outline of an animal merge with a background, color seems to more monotonous. Coloring "a dark back - a white belly" is inherent in the majority of species of fish, birds and some species of mammals.
Form mimicry
Mimicry of a form are cases when animals gain unusual similarity in a form to separate objects. The mimicry of a form is widespread in the world of insects. Caterpillars of butterflies geometrids are similar to branches of trees on which they live. Tropical walking sticks the form imitate dry sticks or leaves of trees.