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Throughout thousands of years of evolution, animals have evolved a variety of different methods of protection that suit their local environments. Some of these animals have resorted to using foul smells, which are obnoxious to predators, ultimately driving them away. Some produce horrible tastes, which make them virtually worthless to eat. Then there are others that have spikes on their backs, or even quills that they can launch out. There are numerous methods of protecting oneself, however, camouflage is one of the most interesting, and beautiful means of protecting oneself.

Camouflage is found on thousands of different animals throughout the world. It was created as a means of protecting an animal from being seen. Through this protection, they are able to maneuver through brush, across prairies, or wherever without being spotted by their standard predators. This of course creates a huge advantage for these animals, especially if they aren't capable of outrunning their predators or protecting themselves by any other means.

While there are numerous animals in the wild that have camouflage, which is incredibly effective in hiding these animals from major predators, this camouflage is only effective in their natural environments. This has created issues for animals that are forced out of their normal environment through deforestation and urbanization. They are now forced to adapt to an environment in which their once great camouflage is virtually worthless.

But, while there are loads of animals that are protect by camouflage, hiding them from predation, predators are also known to have the same types of camouflage. In order to better hunt, many predators have adapted camouflage that will allow them to sneak up on their prey and attack them when they are least expecting it. This of course means that predators are capable of pulling off attacks that wouldn't normally be possible, especially across wide open spaces. But by blending into their surroundings, they are able to sneak up on their prey and go in for the attack when they are close enough that a strike would be relatively successful, especially with their prey caught off guard.

But again, with the speed of urbanization, animals are being pushed from their traditional habitats into new areas where their camouflage is less than perfect, making hunting much more difficult for them. The reality is that they were truly built for a particular area and moving them from that area, eliminates the thousands of years of work that went into creating this perfect camouflage.

Overall, most animals find means of surviving after they lose their habitat, finding other means of protection or new stalking techniques. After all, it is this same ability for animals to adapt, which presented them with camouflage in the first place.

Learn more about this author, Clacky McSnackins.
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