50 Things That Matched Their Surroundings So Well, They Made People Do A Double Take (New Pics)

If you think that you’ll ever encounter camouflage on the battlefield or deep in the jungle, you might not be quite right. There are plenty of optical illusions far closer to home. And they don’t require ghillie suits. All it takes is the right angle and lighting, and an animal, object, or person can blend right into their surroundings with near perfection.

Our team here at We has traveled to the farthest reaches of the internet to compile this list of fantastic photos of accidental camouflage. They’re bound to make you do a double-take! Grab your binoculars, scroll down, and make sure to upvote your fave pics.

#1 I Painted At My Favorite Stream Today. I Think It Blends In Pretty Well

#2 Mother With A Calf

#3 A Cat That Plays Too Many Stealth Games

The entire point of camouflage as a whole is to confuse the senses. People tend to rely very heavily on vision, so camouflage aims to hide someone or something with the help of fabric, paint, and patterns.

What colors and patterns end up being used on uniforms will depend a lot on the local terrain. For instance, shades of brown and yellow might be used in the desert, compared to browns and greens in wooded locales. Meanwhile, black, grey, and white will often be found on camo gear meant for snowy areas.

#4 My Brother Was Joking About How He Dresses Like A 5-Year-Old. Then He Found This

#5 I Didn’t Think I’d Actually Lose In A Hide A Seek Game With My Nephew. Told Him To Pose For A Pic

#6 Blessed Persian Carpet

It’s not just people that use camouflage. It’s an integral part of survival in the animal kingdom. Broadly speaking, there are three main categories of camouflage. The first one is called background matching, where animals have colors and patterns that match their surroundings.

#7 This Is Aspen. She’s Visiting A Friend’s House For Dinner, But After Seeing The Rug She Thinks It’s Time To Leave. 13/10 Would Start The Car

#8 Just A Mat, Nothing More

#9 My Shirt Perfectly Camouflages Me In This Bed Of Flowers

With background matching, animals are harder for predators to spot. That means that they survive longer and can end up passing their genes down more effectively because they have more time to breed. Chameleons, for instance, are legendary for their ability to change their color to match their surroundings.

#10 My Handsome Boy Using Camouflage At The Vet

#11 I’m Waiting To Bloom

#12 Had No Idea My Wife Was Partly Dog

The second type of camo is known as disruptive coloration. It’s a tad sneakier. Essentially, it breaks up the outline of the animal’s body, making it more difficult for predators to home in on them.

One example of this would be how stripes work on a zebra’s fur. Some animals, however, go the route of mimicry, where they imitate another animal or an inanimate object. Stick insects, (obviously) look like sticks.

#13 Guy Learning To Snowboard

#14 Almost Sat On My Dog Accidentally

#15 Strangely Satisfying

However, nobody should think that camouflage somehow perfectly defends a person or an animal. That would be a huge mistake to make. It’s far better than nothing, but predators have evolved ways to spot their prey better.

Some animals might be able to see into different spectrums, for example. Meanwhile, leaps and bounds in technology mean that people are constantly finding new ways to find what others try to hide.

#16 A Snowy Owl And An Owl Made Of Snow

#17 This Levitating Dirt Bike

#18 A Very Hairy Wedding Dress

Some predators have camouflage of their own to make sneaking easier and their hunts more successful. Tigers blend in with the tall grass thanks to their stripes. Octopuses change their texture and color to match their surroundings, avoid predators, and hunt their prey.

Meanwhile, polar bears have white fur, meaning that they blend into the snowy background of the Arctic. Polar bears’ skin is actually black and their hairs are translucent, so they appear white because of how they reflect the light.

#19 The Void Has Such A Good Camouflage. So Many Potential Pounce Places

#20 Parent’s Dog On The Nearly Identical Rug

#21 The Truck In Front Of Us Lined Up Perfectly With The Mountains

Ultimately, animals that develop camouflage that isn’t useful for the environment that they’re in typically do not survive. On the flip side, the animals that better match their surroundings have a higher chance of surviving and breeding. Their offspring will look similar to them. Gradually, over many generations, the animals will match their environments better and better.

#22 My Friend’s Outfit Exactly Matched My Coffee Cup Today

#23 Tricky One

#24 Sheer Coincidence

How animals will develop camo and what types of colors and patterns end up being passed on also heavily depend on the types of predators that hunt in the area. As ‘How Stuff Works’ points out, there wouldn’t be a point to animals replicating the color of their surroundings if their predators were colorblind. If new predators end up in the area, this would also disrupt how various local species develop their natural camo.

#25 My Dog’s Camouflage Game Is Spot On

#26 Office Camouflage

#27 This Chair Leg Blends In Very Well

A huge issue is that due to climate change and rapid urbanization, the environments in which wildlife lives can change drastically. These changes might force some species to adapt quickly in order to survive in a landscape full of new colors, drastically changing how they look. It can also force species to migrate, creating new biospheres where camo that has served some animals for dozens if not hundreds of generations is no longer a viable strategy.

If you’d like to see some more photos of accidental camouflage, be sure to check out We’s previous features once you’re done enjoying this post.

#28 This Lizard’s Perfect Tree Bark Camouflage