Animals have gotten very skilled at hiding. In the wild, it is either eat or be eaten at the end of the day. This has made many of the animals develop camouflaging skills to stay alive. Some of the animals have also developed them to hunt. One of these examples is the lion. It might not seem like much to you, but it’s no coincidence that the lion’s fur is the same color as their surroundings. This is the reason that their eyes have a yellowish color to them. The first time I saw this was while I was watching one of those nature shows.
The lion would stalk his prey and wait for the right moment. Initially, I thought, “how could the other animals not see the lion? He’s right there!” That changed when they changed the camera angle and gave me the other animal’s point of view. I remember being in awe of how well the lion had blended in with his surroundings. I said to myself, “poor little animal, he needs to get out of there fast.”
As all cats, lions will remain motionless waiting for the right moment. When this moment comes, there are very few animals that can outrun them in the open. They usually strike fast and not give their prey a chance to react. One minute they’re eating grass, the next one it’s too late.
Other animals have developed camouflaging skills to survive. Especially when you are a smaller animal, you’ll end up as someone’s lunch very soon if you don’t acquire some camouflage. The most famous animal to do this is the chameleon. This animal has gotten so good at it that he can change his color and adapt to the new surroundings in a matter of seconds. There are hundreds of videos on YouTube that show them changing colors to match everyday objects.
While a chameleon is probably the champion of camouflage, there are many other animals that may not be as good, but they still manage to use the surroundings in their favor. Growing up, I had a lot of pets, one of them was a mantis. Mantises can adapt very well to their surroundings. It was not uncommon for me to take a few minutes to find her, once I had gotten back from school.
The next video is a prime example of this capability. This video was shot in New Zealand to show you the incredible camouflaging abilities of the Bull Tahr. You might think you are already sure of where the animal is hiding, but I can assure you that you’ll get it wrong!
