Writers’ Paradise

Many fish use camouflage, but the leafy seadragon has a clever disguise. Its body is covered with leaf-like flap,making it look like a piece of drifting weed. These seadragons live off the coast of southern Australia, close to seaweed-covered rocks.
-Butterfly like a leaf: Dead leaves often lie on the ground, so we hardly give them a second look. But in some places, they are not what they seem. The Indian butterfly, from Southern Asia, mimics dead leaves to avoid being seen. Lots of other insects including moths and leaf insects use the same kind of disguise.
-Imitation of snake: Most animals are frightened of snakes, even if they have never seen one. An elephant hawkmoth caterpillar uses this fear to protect itself. It has bright spots on the back of its head, which look like a pair of eyes. If the caterpillars are threatened by a bird, they pull in their heads, and then hunch into a snake like shape. Its a trick that can save a caterpillar’s life.
-Playing dead: Do animals ever play dead? Yes, they do-and it sometimes saves their lives. One of the greatest experts is the Virginia opossum, a marsupial from North America. If it is cornered by a predator, it curls up with its eyes half-open, just as if it has died of fright. Many predators hunt only living animals, so if the opossum plays dead, its enemy will lose interest and move on. When the coast is clear, the opossum miraculously comes back to life.
-Some spiders look like ants, and move in the same jerky way. Ants can bite and sting, so birds and lizards are tricked into leaving them alone.
-The devil’s coach horse beetle pretends to have a sting. It curls up its tail just like a scorpion.
-Hairstreak butterflies may have false heads on their hindwings. The false head draws birds away from the real head.
-For moths, looking like a wasp is a great way of keeping out of trouble. Dressed up in black and yellow stripes, and with two pairs of see-though wings, they look almost like the real thing. Birds-and most humans too-are fooled into thinking that they can sting. Copying wasps is a very common trick in the animal world. Thousands of specie of small animals, including flies and spiders, use it as a way to stay safe.

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