Hard to Detect

Grasshoppers are green. Some ants are brown. Beach crabs are the same color as pebbles. The leafy sea dragon with its colorful flowing appendages blends into its environment of undersea plant life. The tiger’s stripes form contrasting patterns of light and dark, allowing the tiger to meld into its surroundings as it stalks through the long, tall grass. In biology, camouflage is a well-known device used by animals to avoid detection or to hide their identity. 

Stripes go every which way when a herd of zebras congregate, making them more intimidating and confusing to lions and cheetahs. Alaskan snowshoe hares change color with the seasons – brown in summer and white in winter. Cuttlefish can change their color in seconds, emitting rapid, pulsating displays to hypnotize their prey.

 It looks just like a twig – until it moves. The praying mantis is the same color and shape as its habitat. Even trained entomologists find it impossible to detect Indian Leaf insects on green plants because of their flattened bodies and leaf-shaped wings and legs. The squid turns on its light-producing organs when the sunshine penetrates the water and hey, presto! It’s invisible from below. 

 Sometimes gifted children are hard to detect. Sometimes they try to hide their identity. In her article, Intensitive! Dr Linda Silverman says, “The gifted are the only group with special needs who can pretend to be like everyone else.”

 References:

1. https://someinterestingfacts.net/animal-camouflage-facts/ https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/animal-camouflage2.htm
2. Silverman, Dr Linda. Intensitive! Intensities and Sensitivities of the Gifted. Queensland Association for Gifted and Talented. 2005. Web. 31st October, 2017
3. Goggle Searches: Crypsis and procrypsis; Mimesis; Morse Code