Leaf-mimic grasshoppers mating. Two males are attempting to mate with a central female. These grasshoppers are shaped and coloured to resemble leaves,

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Leaf-mimic grasshoppers mating. Two males are attempting to mate with a central female. These grasshoppers are shaped and coloured to resemble leaves, which helps them to avoid detection by predators. The imitation of plants by animals is called phytomimesis. Photographed at the Jatun Sacha Reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

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Size: 3412px × 5131px
Photo credit: © DR MORLEY READ/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: amazon, america, animal, biological, biology, camouflage, camouflaged, colouration, copulation, cryptic, ecuador, entomology, fauna, female, grasshopper, insect, invertebrate, invertebrates, jatun, leaf, male, mating, mimic, mimicking, mimicry, nature, phytomimesis, reproduction, reserve, sacha, sexual, south, trio, wildlife, zoological, zoology