Some animals survive by fooling their predators--the animals that hunt them-- or their prey--the animals they try to hunt. The two main ways of doing this are mimicry and camouflage.
Mimicry is a form of physical adaptation where the way one animal looks is very similar to the way another more dangerous animal looks. An example is the Viceroy butterfly. The markings on the wings of a Viceroy butterfly are VERY similar to the markings on the Monarch butterfly. Because the Monarch butterfly is poisonous to eat, predators will also avoid eating the the Viceroy for fear of being poisoned.
Camouflage is another form of physical adaptation where an animal's fur, skin, or markings help it blend into its environment. This can help an animal either hide from a predator, or sneak up on its prey.
There's an animal camouflaged in this picture! Can you spot him? When you think you have, move your cursor over the image to see if you were right.
So did you spot the leopard? His prey would certainly have a hard time.
The arctic hare camouflages itself to hide from predators. Could you spot a camouflaged arctic hare? Find out in this game!