To avoid the keen eyes of predators
these wonderbugs have
become masters of disguise.
(gentle music)
A six inch stick insect
gingerly makes its way
to the end of a twig.
If it weren't for its movement,
it would be almost impossible to discern.
Made of chitin, insect
exoskeletons can take on
any shape, color, or texture.
Looking like a dead stick is apparently
a very successful option.
There are more than 3,000 different kinds
of stick insects in the world.
Each with a slightly different
interpretation of a stick.
(dramatic music)
Just another stick in the forest?
No, it's a grasshopper.
When not feeding, this
four inch South American
horsehead grasshopper
stands absolutely still.
Like stick insects, it's
opted for the stick disguise.
A case of convergent evolution.
There are nearly 200 species
of these stick grasshoppers
in South America that
look almost identical
to the unrelated stick insects.
It's bizarrely elongated
head adds to the disguise
and helps confuse predators.
When is a leaf not a leaf?
When it's a katydid.
Invisible when still.
When it does have to
move it tries its best
to look just life a leaf
blowing in the wind.
In the dense undergrowth of the jungle,
there are just so many
options for camouflage.
Leaves, twigs, and flowers abound,
of all shapes and sizes.
But don't be fooled,
this too is an insect,
hiding in plain sight.
It's a leaf insect, one of
elite masters of disguise.
Covered in the same intricate pattern
of veins as real leaves.
It's another example
of convergent evolution
with the leaf-like katydid.
Eventually real leaves shrivel and die.
But this just adds to
the options for mimicry.
A dead leaf mantis wafts
gently in the breeze.
To complete the disguise
the bug's flattened thorax
looks like a leaf that's going moldy.
And that's even been nibbled on.
It's wing cases look
like curled up leaves,
complete with veins.
This extraordinary
deception enables the mantis
to hide from those that would eat it.
But it too is a predator, all mantids are,
and their disguise sets them
up for the perfect ambush.
(dramatic music)
Here an orchid mantis sits exposed,
looking like a flower.
And rocks in the breeze
to complete its disguise.
Evolution has perfected this
mimicry to such a degree
the mantis even reflects
ultraviolet light.
Copying the way real
flowers attract insects
to feed on their nectar.
But lurking beneath this cloak of deceit
is a ruthless hunter licking its chops.
(dramatic music)
When it's finished there's
not a scrap of evidence left
to betray this lethal bloom.
We know there are millions
of species of bugs out there.
But how many more are
waiting to be discovered,
hiding in plain sight?
