Camouflage is a tactic that results from hiding prey so that the predator will not easily spot the meal and vice versa. It happens by tricking, whereby for a prey to survive, it must play with the psychology of the predator, which means playing around with the perceptual aspects and cognition (“The complex arms race between predator and prey, 2022”). The disguise work in three ways, mainly impairing detection, concealing identification, and redirecting attack.
For instance, octopuses use camouflage by changing color to resemble the environment. In this case, when a prey redirects the attention, the lethality of the attack is reduced significantly, as seen in the zebra’s strategy of disrupting their direction. The predator and the prey feel the efficacy of camouflage, where the time taken to search for a meal is increased by 60% while the prey’s feasibility of attack lowers by 25% (“The complex arms race between predator and prey, 2022”). Camouflage may not be visual since bats use sound perception to avoid dangers which means preys have the skill to divert occasions by using sensory science, and that moderates the rate of attack.
The article contains rich content well-articulated in professional and academic prose. The author’s arguments are factual since they represent reality. The explanation of how camouflage works can be related by reflecting on what is seen in real situations between predators and prey. A study by Chen et al. (2021) shows that camouflage works by mimicking an environment to avoid being noticed and using disruptive coloration. The exceptional appearance that animals have to blend in their areas helps attain a particular goal; therefore, the literal findings in the author’s article match with other studies. Rivas (2020) gives an example of Batesian mimicry, where a harmless species may resemble a dangerous creature such as the honeybee. In that way, the predator will avoid indulging in any battle with the prey, and that is where the method of disrupted attention comes in hence, proving the effectiveness of the author’s arguments.
The cognitive perspective is the key matter which revolves around prey and predator. If prey does not have the natural disguise skill, predators will have an easy time looking for meals. The author’s position is that camouflage has evolved, creating room for an arms race between the prey and predator. The author correctly mentions that the camouflage method spares the prey while giving it a hard time for the predator. The example of a leopard hiding in thick bushes shows that camouflage works on either side, meaning that each party is given the natural capability to benefit.
The strength of the article is that it has rich information that is justifiable, but it lacks attribution information of references, more so where facts and data are given. Including scientific study in the article should enable the audience to know the kind of research done and the reliability of the variables in realizing the results. The two elements present weakness in the author’s arguments since there is no key to guide the reader about the details given. Questions are highly beneficial to the reader as they draw attention to whatever the author wants to communicate. The use of visual figures in the article has presented an opportunity for the reader to conceptualize the author’s key points, helping in understanding. Reading the article will significantly add knowledge to the reader concerning the science of prey and predators.
Reference List
Chen, Y.-S., Giletti, T. and Guo, J.-S. (2021) “Persistence of preys in a diffusive three species predator-prey system with a pair of strong-weak competing preys,” Journal of Differential Equations, 281, pp. 341–378. Web.
The complex arms race between predator and prey (2022). The Economist Newspaper. Web.
Rivas, J.A. (2020) “How much is supper? Predator diet and prey retaliation,” Anaconda, pp. 79–103. Web.