The Art of Deception — Photo Gallery — National Geographic Magazine

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The Art of Deception

Sometimes survival means lying, stealing, or vanishing in place.

/2009/08/mimicry/img/01-leaves-toad-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-01.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Rhinella margaritifera]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248230 /2009/08/mimicry/img/02-bird-diversion-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-02.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Create a Diversion A bird zeroing in on a flag-footed bug perched on a passionflower might see the flutter of red "flags"—the insect's attempt to divert the hunter's bite to nonessential limbs, away from its vital core. Anisocelis flavolineata (insect); Passiflora sp. (flower)]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248240 /2009/08/mimicry/img/03-katydid-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-03.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Acanthodis curvidens]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248234 /2009/08/mimicry/img/04-resembling-flora-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-04.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Phyllium giganteum can unfurl to some four inches in length.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248242 /2009/08/mimicry/img/05-tree-like-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-05.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Make Like a Tree Leaf knockoffs down to brown spots and notched edges, two Mimetica katydids with twiglike legs can rest or feed without drawing attention. Still, their best efforts at blending in sometimes fail. Fleshy, protein rich, and toxin free, katydids are avidly sought and caught by keen-eyed monkeys, birds, lizards, frogs, and snakes. Mimetica mortuifolia (at top); Mimetica viridifolia]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248238 /2009/08/mimicry/img/06-plant-hopper-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-06.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Show Two Faces An extra pair of eyes, even phony ones, can be a boon to insects hunted by predators that target by sight. A saw-nosed plant hopper's first defense is camouflage. Cathedra serrata]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248231 /2009/08/mimicry/img/07-plant-wings-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-07.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Show Two Faces But if a bird, lizard, or other hunter takes aim, the saw-nosed plant hopper can startle its foe by unveiling red spots that could be mistaken for the eyes of a larger animal. Cathedra serrata]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248232 /2009/08/mimicry/img/08-butterfly-pupa-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-08.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Show Two Faces A butterfly pupa, a species discovered in Costa Rica by Daniel Janzen of the University of Pennsylvania, also shows a false face. "Peering" from a rolled-leaf shelter, its eyespots may deter small birds exploring the foliage for insect prey. Though a prevalent ploy in nature, the fake-eye look isn't foolproof. Animals that get caught may have secondary defenses, like a foul taste or toxic secretion. The plant hopper takes a more spirited approach, buzzing like a stinging wasp to provoke a quick release. Cephise nuspesez]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248237 /2009/08/mimicry/img/09-fake-ants-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-09.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Fake Your ID Hiding in plain sight, the broad-headed Hyalymenus nymph (upside down) has evolved to look and act like sap-eating ants, much fiercer creatures that can sting or wield toxins, spines, and communal grit. Predators that learn to avoid the ants will also bypass the imposter. But the ploy is risky: If the ants discover the innocuous copycat among them, they'll attack. Hyalymenus sp. nymph (ant mimic); Ectatomma sp. (ants)]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248236 /2009/08/mimicry/img/10-leaf-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-10.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Confound the Enemy Cryptic coloration and a shape like a leaf spine help shield a tropical Geometridae caterpillar, but its feeding behavior is the master stroke. By munching along a leaf's scalloped contours and keeping the edges well-balanced left to right, "it disguises the damage that could clue a predator to its whereabouts," says University of Utah biologist Phyllis Coley. For such a nondescript little inchworm, she says, "it's pretty sophisticated." Geometridae]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248239 /2009/08/mimicry/img/11-caterpillar-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-11.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Confound the Enemy Modeling fake parts and elegant disguises, many caterpillars keep their enemies guessing. A silk moth caterpillar comes with a false head, complete with mock antennae, to lure predators into biting its rear. Plan B: If the ruse fails, extra spines on the real head may prompt the attacker to spit out its prey still intact. Periphoba arcaei]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248233 /2009/08/mimicry/img/12-parasite-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-12.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Get Noticed For one nematode parasite, the goal is not to escape, but to be eaten. When it hijacks an ant, it turns its host's back end as red and prominent as a ripe fruit. "This likely dupes a bird into feeding on it and getting a mouthful of nematode eggs," says ecologist Steve Yanoviak. The bird spreads the eggs via its feces, which the ants eat, continuing the cycle. Cephalotes atratus]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248235 /2009/08/mimicry/img/13-toxic-frogs-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-13.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Get Noticed In frogs, conspicuous colors often signal toxicity. But a species on islands off Panama doesn't stick to a single color signal. That's counterintuitive, says Martine Maan of the University of Texas at Austin, "We'd expect the frogs to look similar so predators could easily learn to associate toxicity and coloration." But another selective force is in play. Females on different islands have developed tastes for mates of different colors, probably driving male hues to diverge instead of merge. Still, the poison alarm seems effective. Most predators likely just avoid vivid frogs, Maan says, a precautionary tactic for a perilous world. Oophaga pumilio]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1248241 /2009/08/mimicry/img/14-spider-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-14.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Deinopis spider, known for its pinched, ogre-like face, vanishes against a dry palm leaf in Panama.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1253120 /2009/08/mimicry/img/15-leaf-mantid-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-15.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Deroplatys trigonodera, a leaf-litter mantid, has evolved the look of a leaf decomposing on the tropical forest floor. The stealthy insect, with large compound eyes for nocturnal hunting, is a master sit-and-wait predator. It lurks unseen and then, with a flash of spiny front legs, snags its unsuspecting insect prey.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1253121 /2009/08/mimicry/img/16-mimic-asian-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-16.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Deroplatys angustatat, a dead-leaf mimic from Southeast Asia, can flash bright colors and eyespots on the undersides of its legs and forewings to startle enemies.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1253122 /2009/08/mimicry/img/17-green-leaf-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-17.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Phyllium giganteum. Early botanists believed that leaf insects actually incorporated the foliage they mimicked. As Royal Society Fellow Richard Bradley wrote in 1759, "The insect is nourished by the juices of the tree … and at the fall of the leaf, drops from the tree with the leaves growing to its body like wings, then walks about." The description "may seem comical with hindsight," says Edward Baker of the Natural History Museum of London, "but the fact is, we still know very little about the biology of the majority of these species."]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1253123 /2009/08/mimicry/img/18-walking-stick-714.jpg /2009/08/mimicry/img/deception-60-18.jpg Photograph by Christian Ziegler Lonchode jejunus, a walking stick detected in Malaysian Borneo.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1253124