Leaf Beetles Avoid Predators by Mimicking Their Own Bite Marks

Leaf beetles. Image courtesy of Charlesjsharp, CC BY-SA 3.0.




Joel Kontinen

Some animals are masters of camouflage. The filefish can vanish from sight in two minutes. The octopus can change its shape and colour almost instantly.

Its logical to conclude that even in the post-Fall world, God still cares for animals and has given them the skills to hide from predators.

Recent research shows that leaf beetles can mimic their own bite marks they make while munching on leaves and thus avoid being eaten.

Beetles are living fossils that haven’t changed in aeons.

And the bombardier beetle has a clever strategy that prevents hungry predators from having it for lunch.

Source:

Ceurstemont, Sandrine. 2018. Beetles hide by looking like the bite marks they make on leaves. New Scientist (27 February).

Filefish – Camouflage Artist Vanishes in Two Seconds

Filefish (Monacanthidae) come in many shapes and sizes. Aluterus scriptus. Image courtesy of Paige Gill, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.



Joel Kontinen

The slender filefish (Monacanthus tuckeri) is an interesting creature. It can vanish from sight in two seconds. New Scientist reports:

“Now you see it. Now you don't. The slender filefish has a way to stay off the seafood menu – it has evolved the ability to become almost invisible. The fish can camouflage its body patterns and shape to match its marine surroundings in seconds.”

Despite the evolutionese attached to the report, it is needless to invoke Darwin, as evolution’s watchmaker is supposed to be blind and unable to plan ahead.

The filefish would not have benefited from a skill that only worked partially. To escape becoming a meal, it had to be able to vanish quickly the very first time.

This vanishing act is one of the growing number of skills seen in the animal kingdom that baffle evolutionists.

From a creation perspective, we would expect animals to have various kinds of amazing skills.

Source:

Blaszczak-Boxe, Agata. 2015. Zoologger: The fish that can vanish in 2 seconds flat. New Scientist (19 June).