Sixth Grade
Worksheets
How Does Animal Camouflage Work?
Caption: Can you see the spiny rainforest katydid in this picture?
Now you see them. Now you don't. Animal camouflage makes creatures of all shapes and sizes disappear. Some disappear for protection. Others disappear to take their prey by surprise.
Over the centuries, creatures of all kinds have developed amazing ways to become invisible. Some blend into the background by matching its color and texture. Others make themselves look just like another object.
Some animals have designs such as spots, stripes, or patches as a part of their camouflage. Some are just the right color, and others are able to change their color. Natural pigments, called biochromes, make it possible for animals to produce the colors they need. Tiny physical structures on the skin help other animals by scattering light like a prism. By moving these tiny structures, an animal can change its appearance.
Deer, squirrels, and hedgehogs all have a color and texture to their fur that blends in with the trees around it. This protective coloration helps them hide from predators. A lynx also has coloration that blends in with trees, but it is not so much for its own protection as it is to help the lynx sneak up on its prey.
