Antipredator adaptations

thumb|upright=1.35|The peacock flounder can change its pattern and colours to match its environment. thumb|upright=1.35|A soldier applying camouflage face paint; both helmet and jacket are disruptive coloration|disruptively patterned.|alt=photo of a soldier putting on camouflage face paint

thumb|A white-headed dwarf gecko with tail lost due to autotomy Autotomy ('self-amputation', from the Ancient Greek auto-, "self-" and tome, "severing") is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards an appendage, usually as a self-preservation mechanism to elude a predator's grasp or to distract the predator and thereby allow escape. Some animals are able to regenerate the lost body part later. Autotomy is thought to have evolved independently at least nine times. The term was coined in 1883 by Léon Fredericq.

thumb|upright=1.5 |The bright colours of this granular poison frog signal a warning to [[predators of its toxicity.]] thumb|upright=1.5 |The honey badger's [[reverse countershading makes it conspicuous, honestly signalling its ability to defend itself through its aggressive temperament and its sharp teeth and claws.]]

thumb|right|Owl|Owls are well known for being nocturnal, but some owls are active during the day.

behavior in which animals take on the appearance of being dead

genus of insect of eastern North America

In ecology, crypsis is the ability of an animal or a plant to avoid observation or detection by other animals. It may be part of a predation strategy or an antipredator 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 of camouflage are employed in nature.

form of mimicry where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species

color mark that looks somewhat like an eye

thumb|upright=1.35|Many animals, such as this grey reef shark, are countershaded. thumb|Illustration from the artist Abbot Thayer's 1909 book on camouflage of a Luna [[caterpillar Actias lunaa) in position b) inverted.]]

mechanism developed through evolution that assist prey organisms in their constant struggle against predators

natural phenomenon in which two or more distasteful species, that may or may not be closely related and share one or more common predators, have come to mimic each other's warning signals

antipredator adaptation in which individuals of prey species mob a predator by cooperatively attacking or harassing it, e.g. to protect offspring

dark pigment release

range of adaptations evolved by plants which improve their survival and reproduction by reducing the impact of herbivores; plant defensive strategies (defensive traits) to defend against damage caused by herbivores

bluffing threat display of an animal used to startle a predator

signal made by social animals and people to warn others of danger

defense mechanisms used by plants, tarantulas, and caterpillars

Autothysis (from the Greek roots autos- "self" and thysia "sacrifice") or suicidal altruism is the process where an animal destroys itself via an internal rupturing or explosion of an organ which ruptures the skin. The term was proposed by Ulrich Maschwitz and Eleonore Maschwitz in 1974 to describe the defensive mechanism of Colobopsis saundersi, a species of ant. It is caused by a contraction of muscles around a large gland that leads to the breaking of the gland wall. Some termites (such as the soldiers of Globitermes sulphureus) release a sticky secretion by rupturing a gland near the skin

thumb|upright=1.7|Principle of the counter-illumination camouflage of the firefly squid, Watasenia scintillans. When seen from below by a predator, the animal's light helps to match its brightness and colour to the sea surface above.

thumb|Horned lizard showing evidence of autohaemorrhaging Autohaemorrhaging, or reflex bleeding, is the action of animals deliberately ejecting blood from their bodies. Autohaemorrhaging has been observed as occurring in two variations. In the first form, blood is squirted toward a predator. The blood of these animals usually contains toxic compounds, making the behaviour an effective chemical defense mechanism. In the second form, blood is not squirted, but is slowly emitted from the animal's body. This form appears to serve a deterrent effect, and is used by animals whose blood does not seem

thumb|A dusky toadlet displaying patches normally concealed thumb|The underside of a yellow-bellied toad

camouflage in water, mainly by transparency, reflection, counter-illumination

self-destructive behavior by an animal, inducing their own death

anti-predator adaption

camouflage by attaching local materials to one's body

detachable food body produced on the epidermis of certain plants