How Do Animals Use Camouflage?

Added: 2026-06-07

[00:00:00]How do animals use camouflage?

[00:00:09]Hi, welcome to Curious Kids Everyday.

[00:00:12]I'm Josh. How are you doing today?

[00:00:17]It's so good to hear from you. Hey, do you know what camouflage is?

[00:00:26]It's a way of trying to hide. People can wear camouflage clothing. Like, have you ever seen a camo shirt or camo pants?

[00:00:37]They usually have colors and shapes that look a little like leaves or grass or dirt or tree bark.

[00:00:46]The idea is that if someone is outside, those colors can help them blend in with the world around them.

[00:00:57]But did you know that some animals have builtin camouflage?

[00:01:06]They don't have to put on a camo jacket.

[00:01:09]Their bodies already have colors and patterns and shapes that help them hide.

[00:01:16]I was thinking about this today because I got an email from a curious kid in the Curious Kids Club named Witty. Witty wondered, >> "Hi Josh, how do some animals use camouflage?"

[00:01:29]>> Great question, Witty. Let's figure it out today.

[00:01:43]Camouflage can help animals in two main ways. It can help an animal hide from another animal that might want to eat it. and it can help an animal sneak closer to food without being noticed.

[00:01:57]Now, one of the most obvious kinds of camouflage is called background matching. That means an animal's body looks like the place where it lives. So, for example, a brown rabbit sitting very still in dry grass can be harder to spot, or a green insect resting on a green leaf can almost disappear.

[00:02:21]A gray moth on gray tree bark can look like it's part of a tree. Unless you're really looking for them, some creatures are very hard to find because they match the background. Just think about all the creatures you've probably missed over the years just because they were using camouflage and you weren't looking closely enough.

[00:02:49]Some animals use patterns to help them hide. For example, stripes or spots or blotches. Those can make it harder for another animal to see the edges of their body.

[00:03:07]Imagine looking through water that has moving light or shadows or plants or waves everywhere. A striped fish can blend into all those lines and shadows.

[00:03:21]So, your eyes may not notice where the fish begins and ends. This is called disruptive coloration.

[00:03:29]Disruptive means it breaks something up.

[00:03:32]In this case, the pattern breaks up the animal's outline, making the body shape harder to recognize.

[00:03:40]This is the type of camouflage used by zebras and tigers. Ever notice their stripes?

[00:03:53]Another type of camouflage is called counter shading. This one is so cool.

[00:03:57]This happens when an animal is darker on top and lighter underneath.

[00:04:02]Many fish have darker backs and lighter bellies. So, if you look down at the fish from above, the dark back can blend with the darker water below. But if you look up at the fish from below, the lighter belly can blend with the brighter light coming from the surface.

[00:04:28]Some animals hide by looking like something else in their environment. For example, a walking stick insect. Have you ever seen one of those?

[00:04:38]They look like sticks. They look like little twigs. And then there's also a thing called a leaf insect. And you're not going to believe what they look like. Yep. They look like leaves.

[00:04:55]A few animals can even change how they look. Octopuses and squid and cuttlefish. They can change the color and pattern of their skin really quickly. Some can even change the texture of their skin, making it look more bumpy or more smooth.

[00:05:14]Chameleons are an interesting example because they change color, too, but they don't just do it for hiding. Their colors can show their temperature or how they're feeling or it can signal to other chameleons.

[00:05:31]So, when we say an animal is camouflaged, that means they're using color or patterns or shapes or textures or behaviors or some combination of all those things to blend in with their surroundings. And usually they're doing it to try to stay a little safer.

[00:05:58]Okay, let's have a quick quiz. What do we call it when an animal's body looks like the place where it lives?

[00:06:09]We call it background matching.

[00:06:12]And what is the word for when a fish is darker on top and lighter underneath?

[00:06:19]Remember, that's called countershading.

[00:06:24]All right, let's play true or false.

[00:06:25]True or false? Camouflage can help an animal hide from predators.

[00:06:32]That is true. True or false? Camouflage always makes an animal completely invisible.

[00:06:42]That is false. It usually makes the animal harder to notice. True or false?

[00:06:48]A walking stick insect can look like a twig.

[00:06:54]Yep, that's true. True or false? A green insect would be equally hidden on a green leaf or a plain white wall.

[00:07:06]No, that's false. Background matching only works if you match the background.

[00:07:11]All right. Would you rather be able to be invisible or look like you're made of grass so that when you laid in the grass, no one could see you?

[00:07:26]Okay. I would want to be one of these animals that could change my shape. I wouldn't want to always look like grass, but if I could suddenly change to looking like grass and then surprise people as they walk by, that sounds pretty fun. I think I'll go with that one.

[00:07:40]All right, let's play around of what am I? What am I? I am an animal that can look like part of a plant.

[00:07:49]My body is long and thin and I can look a lot like a twig. What am I?

[00:08:00]I am a walking stick insect.

[00:08:05]Did you know that animals could use camouflage in so many different ways?

[00:08:10]Which way is your favorite?

[00:08:13]I like the counter shading. I think it's so cool that some creatures are protected from the top and the bottom in different ways. So neat. The next time you're playing outside, take a closer look around. I bet there are creatures out there that you can't see at first, but they are there.

[00:08:34]What kind of question do you think we'll ask tomorrow on Curious Kids Every Day?

[00:08:39]I can't wait to find out. So, until then, keep asking questions and stay curious, kids. And we've got some birthdays today. Today is Ryden's birthday. Ryden is from Texas and Ryden is turning five. Happy birthday, Ryden.

[00:08:55]Marlo is from California and Marlo is turning five. Happy birthday, Marlo.

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[00:09:28]Olive is from North Carolina and Olive is turning five. Happy birthday, Olive.

[00:09:34]Leah is from Singapore and Leah is turning four. Happy birthday, Leah. And JC is from North Carolina and JC is turning six. Happy birthday, JC. To all the grown-ups listening, if your Curious Kid wants their birthday mentioned on the show, please visit supportcuriouskids.com and join the CuriousKids Club. That's support curious.com.

[00:10:00]See you tomorrow.