New research suggests that high-contrast patterns on animals' bodies may serve a dual purpose: offering camouflage when stationary, then creating a 'motion dazzle' effect when moving, confusing potential predators into misjudging their location -- and helping them avoid being eaten. The study, by Dr Louise Tosetto, Professor Nathan Hart and Dr Laura Ryan from Macquarie University's School of Natural Sciences and published in PeerJ on 26 September, is the first to show that humbug damselfish -- known for their striking black and white stripes -- use motion dazzle as a defence strategy.
When thinking of animal camouflage, we typically imagine creatures remaining still, blending seamlessly into their surroundings. But remaining motionless isn't always practical, and many animals are highly mobile, constantly moving through their environment to graze their food.
"Our findings also show that humbug damselfish adapt their behaviour based on their environment," says Dr Tosetto. The research team studied how different backgrounds might affect the fish's ability to confuse predators using motion dazzle, by filming humbugs swimming in tanks against various striped backgrounds, then using computer models to simulate how predators like coral trout would see this movement.
But when the background had clear, wider stripes that predators could easily see, the fish gained two advantages. First, the edges of their bodies became less distinct, making them harder to spot. Second, the combination of their own stripes and the background stripes created confusing motion signals , so predators couldn't accurately judge the speed or direction of the humbug fish.
Animalcamouflage Motiondazzle Predatordefense Humbugdamselfish Fishbehavior
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