Q: Why is is hard for a furry animal to change colors? A: Feathers and fur in animals are like human hair and fingernails -- they're actually dead tissue. The feathers and fur are attached to the animal, but since the tissue isn't alive, the animal can do nothing to alter their composition. Consequently, a bird or mammal has to produce a whole new coat of fur or feathers in order to change color.

In nature, every advantage increases an animal's chances of survival, and therefore its chances of reproducing. This simple fact has caused animal species to evolve a number of special adaptations that help them find food and keep them from becoming food. One of the most widespread and varied adaptations is natural camouflage, an animal's ability to hide itself from predator and prey.

In this article, we'll see how animals blend in with their environment so that others might overlook them. We'll look at a few sophisticated hiders who can change their camouflage in accordance with a change in their surroundings. In addition to these expert hiders, we'll look at some animals who don't hide at all, but throw predators off by disguising themselves as something dangerous or uninteresting.

Photo courtesy David Parks
Paradoxophyla palmata, a narrow-headed frog native to Madagascar. The frog's brown and yellow coloring, as well as its rough texture, allow it to blend in with the mud and tree trunks in its environment. See more animal camouflage pictures.