19 aug 2011
Supreme among our 10, the mimic octopus does impersonations of at least 15 other creatures, including flatfish, crabs, jellyfish and venomous sea snakes.
All octopuses can change colour and texture to make themselves inconspicuous. But so far, the mimic octopus is the only species known to contort its body and arms to copy - and to deter - predators.
By thrusting all of its tentacles together, for example, our eight-legged wonder can disguise itself as a fish.
The mimic octopus is so good at disguise that it was only recently discovered in 1998, off the coast of South East Asia.
Some zoos tend not to bother to exhibit these characters because visitors walk by, thinking the cage is empty.
The leaf insect is one of a family known as Phylliidae that has achieved near perfection in the art of leaf mimicry.
Predators - and people - genuinely struggle to distinguish these remarkable insects from real leaves.
Not satisfied with aping the leaf shape and colour, leaf insects come with extras such as leaf-like veins and bogus caterpillar bites.
They also like to sashay along forest floors in their native Australia and south Asia, looking like real leaves blowing in the wind.
Related to the sea horse, this beauty spends its time off the coasts of southern and western Australia, doing a sharply observed impression of floating seaweed.
The leafy bits are used only as camouflage. The phycodorus propels itself - and adds to the seaweed effect - with small, almost invisible fins.
Observers have also noticed that the sea dragon, depending on its age and condition, can also change colour to blend with its surroundings.
The people of the state of South Australia are so chuffed with their seaweed impersonator, that the sea dragon is now their official marine emblem.
This ugly character struts its stuff mainly around the freshwater basins of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers.
For a turtle, the 28lb fish-eating mata mata is not the best or fastest of swimmers, so it traps its prey by impersonating rocks, leaves or lumps of dead log.
When something tasty swims into view, the mata mata opens its mouth and expands its throat to cause a surge of water. The prey gets sucked into the turtle's digestive system without even being chewed.
Among native South Americans, "mata mata" means "I kill". For small Amazonian fish and invertebrates, this clearly is no laughing mata.
Creatures that do impersonations
Mimic Octopus
 |
| Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India |
All octopuses can change colour and texture to make themselves inconspicuous. But so far, the mimic octopus is the only species known to contort its body and arms to copy - and to deter - predators.
By thrusting all of its tentacles together, for example, our eight-legged wonder can disguise itself as a fish.
The mimic octopus is so good at disguise that it was only recently discovered in 1998, off the coast of South East Asia.
Leaf Insect
 |
| Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India |
The leaf insect is one of a family known as Phylliidae that has achieved near perfection in the art of leaf mimicry.
Predators - and people - genuinely struggle to distinguish these remarkable insects from real leaves.
Not satisfied with aping the leaf shape and colour, leaf insects come with extras such as leaf-like veins and bogus caterpillar bites.
They also like to sashay along forest floors in their native Australia and south Asia, looking like real leaves blowing in the wind.
Leafy Sea Dragon
 |
| Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India |
The leafy bits are used only as camouflage. The phycodorus propels itself - and adds to the seaweed effect - with small, almost invisible fins.
Observers have also noticed that the sea dragon, depending on its age and condition, can also change colour to blend with its surroundings.
The people of the state of South Australia are so chuffed with their seaweed impersonator, that the sea dragon is now their official marine emblem.
Mata Mata Turtle
 |
| Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India |
For a turtle, the 28lb fish-eating mata mata is not the best or fastest of swimmers, so it traps its prey by impersonating rocks, leaves or lumps of dead log.
When something tasty swims into view, the mata mata opens its mouth and expands its throat to cause a surge of water. The prey gets sucked into the turtle's digestive system without even being chewed.
Among native South Americans, "mata mata" means "I kill". For small Amazonian fish and invertebrates, this clearly is no laughing mata.
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