People are losing their minds trying to find the snow leopard in this picture
Topics: News, World News, Animals
Kit Roberts
Featured Image Credit: Saurabh Desai Photography/Getty Images/Kathleen Reeder Wildlife Photography
Topics: News, World News, Animals
Even the most eagle-eyed among us have found it near-impossible to spot the snow leopard lurking in this photo.
Many animals have camouflage which looks absolutely ridiculous until the animal is in the environment it is imitating.
At that point it melts into the background appearing invisible to all intents and purposes.
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Few images demonstrate this more than one which definitely has a snow leopard in it.
I promise, it definitely is in there.
But against the backdrop of snow and a rocky outcrop you simply wouldn't be able to spot the big cat, until it's too late.
Take a look:
Did you spot the leopard yet? There is definitely one in there, and you'll kick yourself once you see it.
Leopards aren't the only big cats with camouflage either.
Astonishingly, tiger stripes work to conceal the enormous cats while they stalk their prey by breaking up the animal's outline in the undergrowth.
As for the leopard, it is definitely in the picture and actually in quite a prominent place if you just look carefully.
No need to strain like this is one of those magic eye posters either, it's definitely in the picture.
Snow Leopards are one of the most elusive of big cats, living in the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia.
So, did you manage to spot it in time? If you give up you can scroll down to see where it is.
One animal takes camouflage even further than just having patterned skin or fur.
This is the Hatchetfish, a species which inhabits the gloom of the twilight zone in the open ocean.
Paradoxically, Hatchetfish have sides which are highly reflective, looking like polish silver.
On land this would make them stick out like a piece of tin foil in the grass, but in the gloom of the deep ocean their sides reflect the light around them, rendering them perfectly concealed from the side.
It doesn't stop there either, as some predators will linger below shoals and spot their prey by its silhouette against the light from the surface. Creepy.
But Hatchetfish have light-producing cells on their bellies which imitate the light from the surface and break up their silhouette.
As for some squid - they just become completely transparent. Problem solved.