Mimicing animals by Eternal_Knight 2011/09/08 17:53
Kingdom Animalia is always full of surprises. No matter where you look, you can see creatures with the most astounding natural or learned mechanisms. From the biggest to the smallest organism, thereare many things about animals that can truly make our jaws drop. Theones listed here have the eye-popping abilitiesto mimic the fauna around them. They copy leaves, flowers, and even algae. Without a doubt, these are the most impressive when itcomes to mimicking plants.
1. Ghost Mantis
Is that a leaf or a mantis? Many people would certainly say leaf, even if they see these moving. The sole member of the genus Phyllocrania, these smallspecies of mantis can be found across Africa. They are very small and can grow only up to 2 inches long. They comesin various colors: severalshades of brown and greenish gray. They look like dead leaves. In fact,most parts of their bodylook like leaves that have dried up. They live for up to two years.
2. Green Plant-Hopper
Also called the torpedo bug, this insects scientific name is Siphanta acuta . This beautiful insect feeds on plants and looks like a leaf. When they are at rest, their green wings cover their bodies much like a sloping roof. They are small, with an average length of 15 mm or half an inch. Their name Torpedo Bug is due to the fact that their nymphs can leap toabout two feet. They arenative to Australia but they can now be found in Hawaii and New Zealand as well. One canfind them in California, too.
3. Stick Insect
As the name suggests, this is an insect that looks a lot like a stick. They actually look more like a eucalyptus twig. Incidentally, their main source of food is the eucalyptus tree. They have long and slender bodies but they can alsofly. They can grow for upto 18 centimeters long. These insects are natives of the southern part of Australia. They have made the woodlands of New SouthWales and Victoria homebut most of them can be found in places that are nearer to the waters.
4. Leafy Sea Dragon
What a beautiful seeweed! Upon closer inspection, though, you will realize that this is a fish that belongs to the same family as seahorses. Under the water, they look like floating seaweed. They have body parts that look a lot like leaves. These leaf-like body parts of not used for moving under the water.They are simply used forblending in to their environment. What they use to move are fins that are transparent. These fins are difficult to see, making the leafysea dragon look less likean animal and more like the plant it mimics.
5. Devils Flower Mantis
Another mantis that canmimic plants like its themost natural thing in theworld. Well, in their world, it IS the most natural thing. The DevilsFlower Mantis is colorful and actually quite beautiful. It will not be called King of all Mantidsfor nothing. With its lovely wing and body colors, it is easy to mistake this mantis as aflower or even a leaf. There are many mantids that mimic flowers but this particular species isquite adept at it, largelydue to its beautiful appearance.
6. Weedy Seadragon
This is another relative of the seahorse and the Leafy Sea Dragon mentioned above. Although not quite as strange-looking as the Leafy Sea Dragon, the Phyllopteryx taeniolatus can easily hide in seaweed beds because of their leaf-like body projections. They are native to the southern coast of Australia and can be found mainly in waters between 3 to 50 meters deep. When theyare moving over shallow waters, it is easy to mistake them as floatingweed. They feed on small crustraceans and zooplankton.
7. Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko
These geckos can be found mainly in Madagascar and has a couple of other interesting names. One can also call it the eyelash leaf tailed geckoor the fantastic leaf tailed gecko. The latter is an obvious praise to its ability to mimic plants. Whats interesting about this gecko is its flat tail. Resembling a leaf, the tail makes it easy for the gecko to blend in to its surroundings. Due to this trait, they can hunt for food and hide when they need to.
8. Frogfish
One of the sea animals known for its aggressivemimicry, there are manythings with which the frogfish can turn themselves into in orderto find food or hide from predators. Some frogfish look like stones or corals while there areothers that can copy seasquirts or even sponges.Some can mimic other marine life, such as sea urchins. Of course, since they have been included in this list, it isessential to point out that there are some frogfish that look like they are covered in algae. Without these natural mechanisms, thefrogfish is actually quitehelpless against other sea animals.
9. Leaf Scorpionfish
This is another sea animal that mimics a dead leaf. They do this to catch their prey by surprise. Aside from looking like a leaf, they actually act like the plant that they mimic aswell. What they do is hide under corals or float above the sea floorlike a dead leaf. They move like they are beingrocked by the currents. Their prey, assuming that the Leaf Scorponfish is just harmless plant life, move closer, unaware that they are moving closer to their doom.
10. Eastern Long-Necked Turtle
These are turtles with necks that they can bend their head sideways into their shells. They are native to Australia and can mostly be found in freshwater swamps, dams, and lakes. Their plant mimicry comes in the form of algae growing on their shells. When they are not moving, they look a lot like rocks, thereby escaping predators or even humans with evil intentions.
Kingdom Animalia is always full of surprises. No matter where you look, you can see creatures with the most astounding natural or learned mechanisms. From the biggest to the smallest organism, thereare many things about animals that can truly make our jaws drop. Theones listed here have the eye-popping abilitiesto mimic the fauna around them. They copy leaves, flowers, and even algae. Without a doubt, these are the most impressive when itcomes to mimicking plants.
1. Ghost Mantis
Is that a leaf or a mantis? Many people would certainly say leaf, even if they see these moving. The sole member of the genus Phyllocrania, these smallspecies of mantis can be found across Africa. They are very small and can grow only up to 2 inches long. They comesin various colors: severalshades of brown and greenish gray. They look like dead leaves. In fact,most parts of their bodylook like leaves that have dried up. They live for up to two years.
2. Green Plant-Hopper
Also called the torpedo bug, this insects scientific name is Siphanta acuta . This beautiful insect feeds on plants and looks like a leaf. When they are at rest, their green wings cover their bodies much like a sloping roof. They are small, with an average length of 15 mm or half an inch. Their name Torpedo Bug is due to the fact that their nymphs can leap toabout two feet. They arenative to Australia but they can now be found in Hawaii and New Zealand as well. One canfind them in California, too.
3. Stick Insect
As the name suggests, this is an insect that looks a lot like a stick. They actually look more like a eucalyptus twig. Incidentally, their main source of food is the eucalyptus tree. They have long and slender bodies but they can alsofly. They can grow for upto 18 centimeters long. These insects are natives of the southern part of Australia. They have made the woodlands of New SouthWales and Victoria homebut most of them can be found in places that are nearer to the waters.
4. Leafy Sea Dragon
What a beautiful seeweed! Upon closer inspection, though, you will realize that this is a fish that belongs to the same family as seahorses. Under the water, they look like floating seaweed. They have body parts that look a lot like leaves. These leaf-like body parts of not used for moving under the water.They are simply used forblending in to their environment. What they use to move are fins that are transparent. These fins are difficult to see, making the leafysea dragon look less likean animal and more like the plant it mimics.
5. Devils Flower Mantis
Another mantis that canmimic plants like its themost natural thing in theworld. Well, in their world, it IS the most natural thing. The DevilsFlower Mantis is colorful and actually quite beautiful. It will not be called King of all Mantidsfor nothing. With its lovely wing and body colors, it is easy to mistake this mantis as aflower or even a leaf. There are many mantids that mimic flowers but this particular species isquite adept at it, largelydue to its beautiful appearance.
6. Weedy Seadragon
This is another relative of the seahorse and the Leafy Sea Dragon mentioned above. Although not quite as strange-looking as the Leafy Sea Dragon, the Phyllopteryx taeniolatus can easily hide in seaweed beds because of their leaf-like body projections. They are native to the southern coast of Australia and can be found mainly in waters between 3 to 50 meters deep. When theyare moving over shallow waters, it is easy to mistake them as floatingweed. They feed on small crustraceans and zooplankton.
7. Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko
These geckos can be found mainly in Madagascar and has a couple of other interesting names. One can also call it the eyelash leaf tailed geckoor the fantastic leaf tailed gecko. The latter is an obvious praise to its ability to mimic plants. Whats interesting about this gecko is its flat tail. Resembling a leaf, the tail makes it easy for the gecko to blend in to its surroundings. Due to this trait, they can hunt for food and hide when they need to.
8. Frogfish
One of the sea animals known for its aggressivemimicry, there are manythings with which the frogfish can turn themselves into in orderto find food or hide from predators. Some frogfish look like stones or corals while there areothers that can copy seasquirts or even sponges.Some can mimic other marine life, such as sea urchins. Of course, since they have been included in this list, it isessential to point out that there are some frogfish that look like they are covered in algae. Without these natural mechanisms, thefrogfish is actually quitehelpless against other sea animals.
9. Leaf Scorpionfish
This is another sea animal that mimics a dead leaf. They do this to catch their prey by surprise. Aside from looking like a leaf, they actually act like the plant that they mimic aswell. What they do is hide under corals or float above the sea floorlike a dead leaf. They move like they are beingrocked by the currents. Their prey, assuming that the Leaf Scorponfish is just harmless plant life, move closer, unaware that they are moving closer to their doom.
10. Eastern Long-Necked Turtle
These are turtles with necks that they can bend their head sideways into their shells. They are native to Australia and can mostly be found in freshwater swamps, dams, and lakes. Their plant mimicry comes in the form of algae growing on their shells. When they are not moving, they look a lot like rocks, thereby escaping predators or even humans with evil intentions.
Eternal_Knight 2011/09/08 19:00
the pics are uploaded with nos the nos in upload are same as no in the topic.
the pics are uploaded with nos the nos in upload are same as no in the topic.
EpIcInCoGnItO 2011/09/08 21:45
Very very interesting and educational. Unique and beautiful animals with ways of mimicing the surrounding. Good one.
Very very interesting and educational. Unique and beautiful animals with ways of mimicing the surrounding. Good one.
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Insenus_AmoR 2011/09/09 01:18
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Quote: Eternal_Knight: the pics are uploaded with nos the nos in upload are same as no in the topic.
lemme help u for uploadin pics.. right click on a pic which u feel is necessary for ur topic than select copy image address and than use bb code as [i mg=url address].. for example, i`ll copy a pic from ur gallery n do it for u.. 
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