Masters of disguise

MASTERS of disguise Many animals are camouflage experts, and it can take an eagle eye to see them. Learn about some of the elusive creatures in our care, plus tips on how to spot them.

WORDS Beth Wallace PHOTOGRAPHY Jo Howell

SNOW LEOPARD

Snow Leopards are known as the “ghosts of the mountains”, and for good reason. A whitish-grey coat with black spots covers the head and neck and the larger rosettes over the body and tail help these furtive felines camouflage in their natural habitat in the rugged, snowy mountains of the Himalayas. Melbourne Zoo’s Snow Leopards – Kang-Ju, Miska, Asha, Manju and Sikari – aren’t quite as elusive as their wild relatives. However, it can still take a trained eye to notice them, says Carnivores Keeper, Meryl McGlone. “Our Snow Leopard enclosures have a rocky landscape with high platforms to replicate their wild environment,” she explains. “This allows them to have a high vantage point and maintain their seclusion through camouflage.”

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Hide-and-seek

Kulinda, the Cheetah at Werribee Open Range Zoo, is partial to a rest spot under the acacia tree, as it provides her protection from the weather and any perceived predator or threat. Can you spot her on your next visit?

EASTERN BARRED BANDICOOT GUTHEGA SKINK

Emerging from their nests after dusk, these small, nocturnal marsupials are almost impossible to spot, with their flecked yellowish-brown coats keeping them well concealed in their native grassland home. There are 16 Eastern Barred Bandicoots living off display at Werribee Open Range Zoo’s breeding facility. “We encourage the Bandicoots in our care to camouflage themselves, by providing them with lots of grasses and other vegetation within their enclosures,” says Natives Keeper, Alison Edwards.

LYREBIRD

Spending most of the day foraging in the soil, these brown-feathered birds like to keep a low profile — except when showing off their mimicry skills. According to keeper, Sarah Carter, the best time to catch a glimpse of the Lyrebirds at Healesville Sanctuary is during breeding season in winter, when the resident male, Apollo, will be busy singing and dancing. “When male Lyrebirds dance, they throw their tail feathers over their head, and then we can see the white underneath. Shimmering white is much easier to see,” Sarah says. Healesville Sanctuary’s Guthega Skinks don’t usually hide during the day unless startled, but their colour and unique mix of stripes and spots make them difficult to distinguish from their granite rock homes. Their propensity to freeze if danger approaches is likewise key to their survival, says keeper, Peter Comber. “They’ll stay still as long as they feel it’s safe — darting off and into a burrow at the very last moment.” When visiting these camouflage experts, move past the exhibits slowly and try to avoid any fast or jerky movements so that the skinks don’t run and hide.

LORD HOWE ISLAND STICK INSECT

SCIMITAR-HORNED ORYX CHEETAH

From birth, a Scimitar-horned Oryx’s light tan coat serves as camouflage in its desert home. Mothers also keep their young out of sight (and danger) for the first two to three weeks of life, under a bush or tussock of grass, or among sticks or rocks.

Savannah Keeper and Scimitar-horned Oryx Species Coordinator, Dennell Burgoyne, explains that there are plenty of spaces where oryx mothers can hide their young on Werribee Open Range Zoo’s savannah. “When we have newborn calves within the herd, try to spot them from the bus,” she says. “Look along fence lines, under plants, next to rocks or among the sticks.” Behind the scenes at Melbourne Zoo, a population of captive-bred Lord Howe Island Stick Insects are so covert that even their keepers struggle to find them. In speciality greenhouses, these ‘tree lobsters’ feed on, and hide in, endemic plant species from Lord Howe Island. They favour different plants according to their life stage and camouflage needs. Ectotherms Keeper, Rohan Cleave, explains that nymphs (babies) are bright green, so blend in perfectly with foliage. Later, they change to green/brown, to camouflage against the bark of trees. As sub-adults and adults, they become black and fully nocturnal, so only venture out at night. Cheetahs use their tawny spotted coats to disappear in the light colours of Africa’s grasslands and at Werribee Open Range Zoo. Kulinda uses trees and shrubs to shield herself from view, says African River Trail Keeper, Suzanne Szabo. ZN

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