Animal Hide And Seek - Camouflage For Beginners

[Music] it's a game of hide and seek and Steve's it can spot Mike right away he's not hidden too well is he his white shirt shows right through the Bush come on out I see you what about the other two boys will they be as easy to find it's almost impossible to see Don from closer up he's still hard to see that's because his green shirt Blends in with the green of the leaves what about Ken can you see him through the bushes his shirt has a pattern of colors that blends in with the leaves when people hide in this way we say they are camouflaged many animals are camouflaged too can you see an animal hidden here it's a bird with feathers that match the ground almost exactly the tarmigan that's the name of this bird is protected from other animals by its camouflage not only is the tarmigan hard to see but so are the eggs the spots on the eggs blend in with the nest in the fall the tarmigan grows new feathers white ones by winter it's well camouflaged against the white snow polar bears live where it's cold almost all year round the white cubs are camouflaged as they play on the white snow can you see how this might be a help to the polar bears some rabbits have white fur in the winter time this helps him hide from his enemies in the spring his white fur is shed and the rabbit becomes Brown once again Birds of Prey Hawks and vultures search for another small animals for food there are few plants for this rabbit to hide under but his brown fur matches the brown Earth and the bird continues circling without seeing the rabbit here's a bird that isn't going to miss a meal the Road Runner is picking a fight with a rattlesnake the snake has a poisonous bite but it's no match for a swift Road Runner if the snake had only had a place to hide in the desert sand some animals can hide in the open Can you spot a lizard in this scene looks almost like a piece of wood or a rock doesn't it this lizard is a slow moving animal and there isn't much shelter in the desert so for protection the lizard depends on its sharp spines and on its color which makes it hard to find a relative of the lizard a copperhead snake is well camouflaged against the leaves and twigs of the forest floor it would be easy for other animals of the forest to get too close to the Copper Head this snake has a poisonous bite which can kill squirrels and other animals this green snake doesn't seem to be camouflaged at first glance it's the shape as well as the color of the snake that blends in with the surroundings there's a camouflaged insect here it's called a walking stick can you guess why its stick like body and legs have almost the same shape and color as the branch it's resting on walking sticks and other insects provide food for many birds including these Ruby crowned kinglets the hungry babies are of a color that helps protect them from being seen while they are still helpless in their nest another insect found on trees is the B moth its wings have almost exactly the same pattern as the bark of the tree The Moth is hard to see even close up the tree frog is hidden in much the same way it would be easy to walk by this frog without ever seeing it the tiny tree frog has almost no means of protecting itself except by its camouflage see the lizard resting on the bark this remarkable animal sometimes called an American chameleon has the ability to change its color right now it's greenish Brown both its color and shape fit in with the appearance of the but the lizard can rest here hour after hour hardly moving feeding on insects that wander by now we're looking at the same lizard that's right the same one only now its color matches the leafy Branch what causes the color of the lizard to change scientists aren't sure of all the reasons it is known though that the the amount of heat and light striking the lizard have an effect on its color and its color helps protect the lizard from animals that might find it such as this opossum opossums are good climbers they'll eat just about any kind of food found in a tree berries nuts and small animals the raccoon will also eat just about any kind of food it can get especially snails and clams that live in the water but it's not so easy to find a salamander the salamander is a relative of the Frog can you see how the pattern of his round spots Blends in with the Pebbles many water animals are protected by some form of camouflage The Flounder a kind of flat fish can change its color to match the bottom of the ocean see how the dark patches on its body get lighter matching the sand the flounders coloring and shape help it hide from animal enemies such as the shark the grouper a rather large ocean fish might be mistaken for a rock especially esally when the grouper rests almost motionless against the bottom its shape is something like a rock and its coloring resembles a rock also its entire body is spotted even its eyes the spotted pattern of this Sandpiper Blends in with the shoreline when the Sandpiper arrives at her nesting site the pattern of her coloring Blends in with the nearby plants if birds are to survive it's especially important for them to be hidden when they are nesting they must stay on their nests for long periods of time to hatch their eggs the eggs are also protected by their spotted pattern spotted markings also help hide this Fawn a baby deer camouflage is about its only means of protection when its mother is away the Fawn is not yet able to run from danger you can see how helpless animals are at certain times of their lives and how important it is for them to be able to hide so camouflage coloring pattern or shape which blends in with the surroundings is a matter of life or death for animals happily with boys hide and seek is just a game [Music]