Animal camouflage

"In the last decade, research on the previously dormant field of camouflage has advanced rapidly, with numerous studies challenging traditional concepts, investigating previously untested theories and incorporating a greater appreciation of the visual and cognitive systems of the observer. Using studies of both real animals and artificial systems, this book synthesises the current state of play in camouflage research and understanding. It introduces the different types of camouflage and how they work, including background matching, disruptive coloration and obliterative shading. It also demonstrates the methodologies used to study them and discusses how camouflage relates to other subjects, particularly with regard to what it can tell us about visual perception. The mixture of primary research and reviews shows students and researchers where the field currently stands and where exciting and important problems remain to be solved, illustrating how the study of camouflage is likely to progress in the future"--

1. Animal camouflage : function and mechanisms / Martin Stevens and Sami Merilaita -- 2. Crypsis through background matching / Sami Merilaita and Martin Stevens -- 3. The concealment of body parts through coincident disruptive coloration / Innes C. Cuthill and Aron Szâekely -- 4. The history, theory and evidence for a cryptic function of countershading / Hannah M. Rowland -- 5. Camouflage-breaking mathematical operators and countershading / Ariel Tankus and Yehezkel Yeshurun -- 6. Nature's artistry : revisiting Abbott H. Thayer's assertions about camouflage in art, war and nature / Roy R. Behrens -- 7. Camouflage behaviour and body orientation on backgrounds containing directional patterns / Richard J. Webster, Alison Callahan, Jean-Guy J. Godin and Thomas N. Sherratt -- 8. Camouflage and visual perception / Tom Troscianko, Christopher P. Benton, P. George Lovell, David J. Tolhurst and Zygmunt Pizlo -- 9. Rapid adaptive camouflage in cephalopods / R.T. Hanlon, Chuan-Chin C. Chiao, Lydia M. Mčathger, Kendra C. Buresch, Alexandra Barbosa, Justine J. Allen, Liese Siemann and Charles Chubb -- 10. What can camouflage tell us about non-human visual perception? : a case study of multiple cue use in the cuttlefish (Sepia spp.) / Sarah Zylinski and Daniel Osorio -- 11. Camouflage in marine fish / Justin Marshall and Sčonke Johnsen -- 12. Camouflage in decorator crabs : integrating ecological, behavioural and evolutionary approaches / Kristin M. Hultgren and John J. Stachowicz -- 13. Camouflage in colour changing animals : trade-offs and constraints / Devi Stuart-Fox and Adnan Moussalli -- 14. The multiple disguises of spiders / Marc Thâery, Teresita C. Insausti, Jâerâemy Defrize and Jâerăome Casas -- 15. Effects of animal camouflage on the evolution of live backgrounds / Kevin R. Abbott and Reuven Dukas -- 16. The functions of black and white colouration in mammals : review and synthesis / Tim Caro -- 17. Evidence for camouflage involving senses other than vision / Graeme D. Ruxton.