Camouflaged toads {optical illusion}

National Geographic is proud owner of some of the best photos in the world. Here and then a photo jumps out, containing an interesting effect which sometimes can be seen as optical illusion. Just check out this National Geographic tag, and you’ll be amazed how many illusions on this site are from NG. Anyway, today’s optical illusion was submitted by Urban Ambrozic and Grégory Plantard. We get many of “camouflage” illusions, but most of them don’t make it to the front page of Moillusions. This one however, took my attention. First I only saw one campuflaged toad - thought : “hm, its ok”, but after few moments I was able to spot the second and third one! How many of them are there?! Those three leaf-litter toads were collected within yards of each other, and its amazing how they almost disappear on a forest floor in Panama. For them to stay alive in the tropics (where nearly everything is food for something else), often calls for such trickery to fool a predator’s eye. Below the photo, you may see a gallery of few similar photos (by NG as well). Can you spot an insect hiding in each of them? Those little animals could very well put Liu Bolin and Emma Hack to a shame. Amazing!

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That's pretty neat. I have to admit when I first glanced at the photo I only seen the gray one because it stood out, then realized later that their were two more! I wonder if they change colours or do they have to find a leaf that happens to match their colors?

reply to post by phi1618


There are some pretty impressive photo's there.

A couple of them I really can't tell where the insect is..wish there was an overlay for dummies like me.

Just shows me that intelligent design is fascinating.

Thanks for buggering up my eyes

I was watching planet earth recently, specially an ocean one and they showed a octopus that lived deep under the sea. The video shows it moving between two pieces of coral, then suddenly its colors instantly match it's surrounding. It was insane.

It reminds me alot of these frogs.

wow those images are pretty amazing
thanks for sharing

Awesome find. It kind of brings up the whole Evolution vs. Intelligent Design debate, actually. I understand how natural selection is supposed to work, tiny mutations that are favored over a long period of time, but I just don't see how a creature could evolve to look like a leaf (right down to the line down the center) through random mutations. It reeks of irreducible complexity.

Funny (to me) that you mention Camouflage Toads. The wife and I went on a camping trip last week and I took a pic of a toad that was well camo'd in his environment. Here it is:



S&F (for the coincidence)

[edit on 18-9-2009 by Aggie Man]

hehe took me a while to actually see the toad in that pic thanks for shaing

all i see is leaves.

Whether these are intelligently evolved creatures or ones intelligently designed by a creator, they are precious!

Would hate to lose something so darned amazing to some action or carelessness that was of our doing.

To Mr. BOB;
Look at the strands of green grass, now move to the tan leaf to the right , now look at the ground colored left to the right of that-the one with the two eyes and front legs.

It's there..............................KMG

Is this intelligent design?

reply to post by MR BOB


exactly

reply to post by phi1618


WOW!!! Great pix!!

I really do love optical illusions because it reminds me of the Illusionary 3D-world we live in here.

In the toad leaves pic I see 3 toads easily ... are there more?

The other pix are great too, not hard to find the insects tho

reply to post by kissmygrits


LoL I don't know for 100% sure but I tend to believe that Mr. Bob is pulling your leg

Wish I could camouflage meself like those toads