Graphic with a wooden sign and lots of leaves surrounding it. Graphic text reads: A Tropical Forest in South Asia

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

Graphic with text that reads: Camouflage, blending into the habitat
Graphic with text that reads: Mimicry, blending like other animals
Graphic with text that reads: Startle, surprising predators!
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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.

Discover another mini master of disguise.
Graphic button of coins, coffee cup, and gravel. Text reads: Sidewalk in New York City
Graphic button of a sign with colorful flowers surrounding it. Text reads: Flower Garden in North America
Credits
Credits:

Leaf insect, @Deposit Photos/Alamy; All illustrations, Zack Faust/@AMNH