Masters of Deception
(or, "Go away, don't bother me!")

by Joan Banks
photographs by Jim Rathert
captions by Charlottee Overby

Broken wings, puffed up feathers, big scary eyes . . . What does this stuff have in common?

They are just a few examples of things animals do to make other animals—especially predators—leave them alone.

Some animals confuse predators by resembling other species. Some behave in ways that look threatening. Others put on an act to fool predators. Others just look a little strange . . . Photographer Jim Rathert has caught some in action.

Bugged Out

My, what big eyes you have! But these "eyes" are not the large menacing eyes they first appear to be. They are spots of color that could make a bird or another insect think twice about eating something that appears so bright and alert. Many butterfly caterpillars, like this spicebush swallowtail, have interesting ways of warding off predators. Some have sharp spines, some wave around sickeningly sweet-smelling tentacles, and a few even look just like bird droppings!

Puff Daddy

Nests, eggs and young are often in danger of being preyed upon or injured by other animals, so parents take the job of protecting their young seriously. This male least bittern was sitting on the nest, keeping the eggs warm and guarded. "When I was getting ready to photograph him," says Jim Rathert, Conservationist and Outside In photographer, "the male saw me and started to puff himself out to look bigger and more threatening."

Not on the Sidewalk

Spittle bugs, when they are in the nymph stage, make a frothy-white liquid out of juices from a plant stem. They excrete enough of the froth to surround themselves with a small glob. The spittle cover creates a moist environment for the nymph to grow in and may be distasteful or unpleasant enough to repel predators. It certainly is nasty enough to keep most humans away!

A Matter of Taste

Can you tell the difference between these two butterflies? One of them is a viceroy and the other is a monarch. Viceroys taste good to birds and other predators, but because they look like monarchs—which don't taste good—they are seldom bothered. Look closely at the two butterflies' hind wings. See the slight difference in their patterns? The viceroy has an extra black band.

Beetlemania

Many moths and caterpillars have evolved to look like other insects, which often keeps some predators from eating them. This lichen moth, for example, looks like, or "mimics," a colorful beetle. That way, if a bird comes along that eats a variety of moths but not beetles, it may not go after the moth. By looking like a beetle, the moth may reduce the chances it will be eaten.

Fakeout Moves

An adult killdeer sometimes pretends it has a broken wing. Imagine a predator, like a raccoon, going after a killdeer nest or young. Seeing an adult killdeer with a "broken" wing may cause the raccoon to change its mind and go after the adult instead of the young. The adult will hop away from the nest, dragging its ‘broken" wing, and at just the right moment, fly off. It will have drawn attention away from the young.

Bigger and Badder

"See how this barn owl is spreading his wings out to look older and bigger than he really is?" says photographer Jim Rathert. "It's a young bird, not quite ready to leave the nest full time. He was behaving this way to look threatening and hopefully ward off anything that might approach him."

Playing Snake?

Have you ever seen a snake "playing possum?" An eastern hognose snake defends itself first by flattening out it's head and neck, hissing and striking with its mouth closed. If that doesn't work, it rolls over and plays dead. But first it goes into convulsions, writhes around and lets its tongue hang out. That's quite an act—especially for a snake that is harmless to humans.

Jim Rathert has been taking photographs for the Conservation Department for 15 years. Charlotte Overby is assistant editor of the Conservationist.