text on a wood sign that reads "A Tropical Forest in South Asia"

How do the colors and shapes of these insects help them survive in their habitat?

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Camouflage

When the leaf insect isn’t moving, it’s hard to spot among a bunch of leaves! When it walks, it sways like a leaf in the wind.

With its broad, flat body and legs, this insect looks just like a tattered leaf. It has brown spots like leaf decay and stripes like leaf veins. And its eggs are camouflaged too. They look like part of the tree—the seeds! 

Its disguise keeps this insect safe from predators while it munches on actual leaves. But people are building farms and towns in its habitat. There are fewer and fewer places for leaf insects to live.

Conservation status? Leaf insects are considered common and not endangered.

TBD

Discover another mini master of disguise.
Credits
Image Credits:

leaf insect/Deposit Photos, Alamy.