Why do some animals hide their eyes?

Many predators are quite concerned about the eyes of their prey. To approach unseen and attack before the prey has a chance to escape, they are adapted to search for the eyes of the prey and then move in from the 'back side' where they are less likely to be seen. It's little wonder then, that natural selection has favoured some prey animals hiding their eyes. This makes it difficult for predators to choose approach angles where they can not be seen, and thus increases the chances that the prey will survive. One environment where this adaptive strategy has evolved many times is the coral reef. Many fish have evolved background patterns that effectively hide their eyes. Another approach is to hide the eye in a pattern that causes confusion, or that is hard to read visually by the predator. Alternating black and white bars provide one such 'confusing' pattern. On most tropical reefs you will find at least some fish that hide their eyes in a black bar pattern, with either horizontal or vertical bars.

eye camouflage 2

eye camouflage

fish false eye Troptical fish often combine hiding their real eyes with another adaptation — a conspicuous false eyespot on the tail. (See our essay on false eyes.) Thus, when a predator approaches, the prey fish escapes in the exact opposite direction than expected! Some insects will go so far as have entire false head at their tail end, to utterly confuse an approaching predator. This form of camouflage has evolved in many species of organisms that are otherwise defenseless against predators.

 


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