In
ecology,
crypsis is the ability of an animal or a plant to avoid observation or detection by other animals. It may be a
predation strategy or an
anti-predator adaptation. Methods include
camouflage,
nocturnality, subterranean lifestyle and
mimicry. Crypsis can involve visual, olfactory (with
pheromones), or auditory concealment. When it is visual, the term
cryptic coloration, effectively a synonym for animal camouflage, is sometimes used, but
many different methods are employed by animals or plants. These photographs, captured in
Montagne d'Ambre National Park, Madagascar, depict a
mossy leaf-tailed gecko (
Uroplatus sikorae) exhibiting crypsis by camouflaging itself on a branch (above), and revealing itself from its camouflage (below).
Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp