Can YOU spot them all? Animal kingdom’s masters of disguise are nearly impossible to spot in this gallery of photos (though one or two may need some practice!)
- Animals that have hidden themselves remarkably well have been photographed from all over the world
- Many are impossible to see until they are highlighted or reveal themselves by turning around or opening eyes
- Some animals, however, have not mastered hiding and forget that their shapes and colours are different
Advertisement
This gallery of animals show that no matter your size, you can hide.
From owls to cheetah’s hunting pray, it’s almost impossible to spot these animals, even when you know they’re there.
Many of these animals are the same colour as their background and are camouflaged without having to put any real effort into it.
Other animals have to take up shapes and change their own colours to make sure it is not easy to identify them.
The female owl is cosily tucked into a ball making it impossible to see her because her feathers are the same colour as the tree
A Macqueens Bustard, a bird from the desert and steppe regions of Asia, is has managed to hide amongst pink and green colours
This gecko has not hidden as well as the birds but it has used its useful ability to change colour to blend into the tree it is resting on
Onto much bigger animals this picture that seems like a standard landscape photograph is hiding an ultra rare male snow leopard
This owl has hidden itself so well this picture looks if it it just a photo of a tree trunk. Only close attention to shapes on the trunk reveal the bird
Being little has definitely helped this owl stay completely unseen under a messy pile of sticks that no one would be the wiser about
Not colour or size but climbing: This leopard climbing up a tree trunk to its dead prey hanging off a branch takes ages to spot
The Great Grey Owl is hiding in plain sight. it is not behind anything or under anything but right in the forefront of this photograph as it sleeps in the tree
A tiny Common Pauraque bird is completely hidden while it roosts on the ground full of sticks with similar colours to the bird
This great Grey Owl reveals itself further down when it turns its head. But here it has managed to blend into the tree with the pattern on its feathers looking no different to the pattern on the trunk
Reveals
Some animals need highlighting to show you where they are but some animals reveal themselves simply by opening an eye or turning a head.
Other animals are still impossible to see and need to be identified by their dead prey hanging off the branch of a tree.
The owl is visible as soon as it opens its eyes as they are the only things that are not the same colour as the tree it is huddled into
Also revealed with its eye, this Macqueens Bustard, has hidden its body amongst plants tall enough to cover everything but its head
Luna the gecko was captured by lizard fanatic Dave Bagshaw, 34, keeps and breeds mossy leaf-tailed geckos – officially known as Uroplatus sikorae – at his home in Macclesfield, Cheshire
This snow leopard appears to play hide and seek with photographer in these picturesque snaps. Photographer Bobby-Jo Vial, 37, took these pictures whilst on a photo safari in Kibber National Park, India
You can spot the owl by noticing the sharp shape of its ears coming from the tree-trunk that is otherwise straight and long without any cornrs
This little guy is impossible to see without excellent attention to detail. The bird is only visible through a small, unclear hole in the middle of the messy pile of sticks
At first glance, the tree appears to have a darker piece of bark running up its tall trunk. The leopard was pictured by German wildlife photographer Ingo Gerlach
This owl seems to look directly at the photographer who takes a photo of what looks like just forest trees until the owl’s slightly wide shape becomes clear
This Common Pauraque has its eyes closed making its camouflage more successful as its feathers can blend into the ground without its eyes breaking the colours
Photographer Alan Murphy managed to capture the camouflaged bird suddenly becoming very visible – as he turns his head right around and his bright eyes pop out of the image, revealing his location.
And here are some animals who haven’t quite mastered hiding!
This croc probably would have been a successful hider if it had stayed under water but its different shape and open eyes ruin the illusion
This owl’s body is just a little too wide to hide behind such a thin tree trunk. Its colours are similar to the trunk though so maybe it would have had better luck on a wider tree
And not forgetting a bizarre-looking fish that looks quite the terrifying sight when it was snapped lurking below the sand on the ocean bed. The camouflaged critter is far from photogenic and looks more like an alien than a real life creature of the deep. Diver Will Soo caught the creature on camera in the bay of Blairgowrie Pier, Melbourne, Australia