This week Leya challenges us to share a few pictures relative to “Blending In and/or Standing Out” so I decided to approach this challenge by sharing a couple of wildlife images. Although the subject of the last image is different; decided to include it since it’s a good example of blending in with the environment.
“Every organism willing to fight for survival, received a gift from mother Nature, Camouflage.” ∼ Abhi N
Dead Leaf Butterflies (Kallima inachus) easily blend in to protect themselves against predators…..
….. or, they can stand out by flashing their brilliant colors to attract a mate.
Alligators are passive hunters and masters at blending into their environment. Two ways they achieve this is to submerge most of their body under water, another is to hide in grasses or ground cover near water’s edge and patiently wait. When necessary, alligators have the ability to suddenly produce an explosive amount of energy in surprisingly fast, short bursts of speed.
Alligators are cold blooded so they often stand out when resting on a bank to let the sun warm their bodies.
I live on a beautiful island where residents respect the alligators which reside in the fresh water wetland areas. Their instincts for survival are amazing; they first appeared 200 million years ago, outliving dinosaurs by some 65 million years (PBS.org). Importantly, they play a key role on the island by helping to keep the ecological system balanced. Interestingly, they are not aggressive toward humans as crocodiles are and will quickly retreat if approached or frightened.
This Eastern Screech Owl blends in so well with his surroundings – except for his pointed ears. Notice how he is scrutinizing everything with one eye half opened!
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” ∼ Albert Einstein
Wonder how many people walk by this sign post at Disney World and never see DiVine standing there….a great example of blending in!
