There's a special community online whose members post a variety of photos where cats are almost impossible to spot, and then impossible to unsee (as soon as you actually spot them). In fact, cats are unrivaled masters of camouflage, so you'll really have to strain your eyes to spot them here.
The most interesting thing is that oftentimes, the cats weren't intending to hide from their owners—camouflage skills seem to be in their DNA. Literally from birth—because little kittens are also in these photos. If you can see them, of course...
It's no secret that camouflage coloration in animals arises to enhance the effectiveness of defense or probable attack. For example, insects can disguise themselves as leaves and branches, or imitate other, poisonous insects, to repel their natural enemies.
In turn, many predators have this coloration to blend into their surroundings—for example, the polar bear, whose white fur makes it almost invisible against snow and ice, or the tiger, which blends in with the vines and trees in the jungle. But from whom are cats actually camouflaged in our homes?
Interestingly, over the thousands of years since humans domesticated cats, their coat color has also undergone several stages of evolution. Moreover, proximity to humans influences the color of feral cats today as well. For example, this recent study establishes a pattern in the probabilities of site use for tabby cats and other morphs as a function of proximity to the nearest villages.
In other words, even feral cats sometimes camouflage themselves as domestic ones if they live near humans. As we can see, evolution doesn’t stand still. And even though artificial selection, represented by humans, powerfully influences the evolution of domestic cats, our furry friends also effectively adapt to our lives.
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Incidentally, the results of artificial selection also greatly influence the lives of cats—especially if they end up in a rural environment by fate. The Grow Network notes that white cats have the hardest time in these conditions because they’re much easier to see, especially at night. "Solid black cats, or gray-black tabbies, tend to do much better - their natural camouflage gives them an edge," the source adds.
But when they're in our homes, where light colors are far more abundant than in nature and there's no need to hunt at night, cats are quite capable of camouflage rivaling the best chameleons. Especially if they're calico cats on a calico bedspread. Be sure to look at a few photos of them—it's really the ultimate eyesight training!
In any case, it's true that a single picture is worth a thousand words. So please feel free to scroll through this selection, take a look at the photos, and try to spot a cat or two there. We guarantee that cats are present in all the pics in this collection! By the way, in case you also have some similar photos, why not share them in the comments too?
