How Does Camouflage Work?

Step 1 of 5

Eyes look for edges.

Brains find objects by detecting boundaries and assembling them into shapes. Interrupt the boundary and recognition fails.

Step 2 of 5

Bold patterns break the outline.

Stripes and blotches that cross the body's edge split it into fragments that do not read as an animal. This is why zebras are striped.

Step 3 of 5

Countershading cancels the shadow.

Sunlight makes tops bright and undersides dark, which reveals a solid shape. Dark backs and pale bellies cancel it, flattening the animal.

Step 4 of 5

Some animals mimic objects.

Stick insects and leaf insects do not blend in — they impersonate something specific and uninteresting. Predators classify them as not-food.

Step 5 of 5

Movement destroys all of it.

Motion detection cuts straight through camouflage, which is why hiding animals freeze. Being still is as important as being patterned.

Warships were once painted in bold clashing patterns — not to hide them, but to confuse estimates of their speed and heading.