Chien C. Lee

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  • What could seem more unappetizing to a bird than the prospect of eating its own droppings? The incredible masquerade of bird-dropping crab spiders (Phrynarachne spp.) enables them thus to hide in plain sight, usually perched exposed on the upper surface of a leaf. Not only does the spider itself look (and smell) like dung, but it also skillfully uses its own silk to simulate white stains of the splatter of a bird dropping – at times even crafting ‘drip lines’ down the furrows of a leaf. This disguise not only helps them avoid predators but it also attracts hungry flies which are hoping for a meal. Most spiders usually discard the remains of their prey after consuming them, but Phrynarachne sometimes incorporate the carcasses, as shown here, into convincing extensions of their facade. Kubah National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • The mimicry of a dead leaf is so precise for the Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus), they can often hide effectively in plain sight. It has been untested to what degree these geckos actively select a substrate that matches their individual patterns, but U. phantasticus appears to typically hide among dead foliage which suits it perfectly. Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.
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  • When approached by a potential predator, these amazingly camouflaged leaf grasshoppers (Chorotypus sp.) align their flattened bodies with the leaf they are perched on and remain completely still to accentuate their mimicry. Kubah National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A study on perfection in mimicry: a Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus). One of 14 species of leaf-tailed geckos endemic to Madagascar, this nocturnal insectivore utilizes its incredible camouflage to hide among dead foliage by day. All Uroplatus geckos are under severe threat from deforestation and over-collecting for the international pet trade. Andasibe, Madagascar.
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  • Common Mormon Swallowtail (Papilio polytes). This young butterfly caterpillar avoids predation by appearing unappealingly similar to a bird dropping. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A Bird Dropping Crab Spider (Phrynarachne decipiens) lies in wait on a silken pad it has made to resemble the stain of bird excrement. The remains of two unfortunate flies, victims of the spider's clever deception, lie nearby. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Leaf insect (Phyllium agnesagamaae) , male. Unlike their larger and more heavily bodied female counterparts, male Leaf Insects (family Phyllidae) have fully developed wings and are capable of flight. Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Bird Dropping Crab Spider (Phrynarachne sp.). Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Leaf-like pygmy grasshopper (Holoarcus belingae). Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus). Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.
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  • Bornean Oakleaf (Kallima buxtoni), sleeping at night among dead foliage. Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • With forests full of keen-eyed predatory birds, many of Madagascar’s smaller creatures have evolved incredibly cryptic appearances to evade detection. In the case of this Ghost Mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa), the remarkable leaf like mimicry serves also to conceal it from potential prey, which will be seized and eaten alive if they venture too close. Andasibe, Madagascar.
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  • Leaf katydid (Eulophophyllum lobulatum), juvenile. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A juvenile leaf insect (Nanophyllium australianum) from the rainforest of Iron Range National Park. Queensland, Australia.
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  • Carefully sequestered on a perch not far above the rainforest floor, a Moyer’s Pygmy Chameleon (Rhampholeon moyeri) sleeps by night safely hidden from prowling nocturnal predators. Measuring less than 6 cm in total length, these are some of the smallest and most camouflaged in Africa – by day when they hunt for insects on the ground they are nearly invisible among the leaf litter. Recent research has shown that there is a surprising amount of diversity among Rhampholeon chameleons (26 currently recognized species), many of which are restricted to their own isolated mountain ranges. . Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania.
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  • Bird Dropping Crab Spider (Phrynarachne sp.). Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Bornean Oakleaf (Kallima buxtoni). Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • With uncanny precision, this grasshopper (Chorotypus sp.) displays its mimicry of a dead leaf down to the finest details. Why do some organisms go to such extreme lengths for their camouflage while others can get by with a much simpler appearance? The answer of course is largely due to what they are hiding from: there is a direct correlation between the detail of camouflage and the visual acuity of their specific predators. In this case, the sharp eyes of small insectivorous birds, like the hands of a master craftsman, provide the driving force to some of the most eccentric insect appearances. Batang Ai, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Bird Dropping Crab Spider (Phrynarachne decipiens) preying on cockroach (Ectobiidae). Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Leaf-masquerading lappet moth (Gastropacha leopoldi). Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Ceylon Bird Dropping Crab Spider (Phrynarachne ceylonica), female at nest. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Hooktip moth caterpillar (family Drepanidae). Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo)
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  • Among the most cryptically camouflaged of all invertebrates, leaf insects (Phyllium spp.) are difficult to find in their natural habitat. Many new species have been described from Southeast Asia in recent years. This is a subadult female (P. arthurchungi) from the rainforest of northern Borneo.
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  • Leaf insect (Cryptophyllium oyae), male. Usually considerably rarer than the flightless females, male Phyllium can also be distinguished by their narrower body shape and long antennae. The taxonomy of many Phyllium species remain poorly studied due to how infrequently they are observed. Ha Giang, Vietnam.
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  • Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus). Andasibe, Madagascar.
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  • The Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) is an ambush predator. Utilizing its superb camouflage it waits for unsuspecting insect prey to come withing striking distance. This juvenile specimen will lose some of its petal-like appearance when it matures. West Java, Indonesia.
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  • Pygmy grasshopper (Paraphyllum antennatum) mimicking a winged seed. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Bornean Oakleaf (Kallima buxtoni). Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Phyllium bioculatum.  Leaf insects (family Phylliidae) are found in tropical forested areas in South and Southeast Asia.  They are slow-moving foliage eaters and rely on their incredible camouflage for defense.  West Java, Indonesia.
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  • The Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) is an ambush predator. Utilizing its superb camouflage it waits for unsuspecting insect prey to come withing striking distance. This juvenile specimen will lose some of its petal-like appearance when it matures. West Java, Indonesia.
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  • The mimicry of a dead leaf is so precise for the Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus), they can often hide effectively in plain sight. It has been untested to what degree these geckos actively select a substrate that matches their individual patterns, but U. phantasticus appears to typically hide among dead foliage which suits it perfectly. Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.
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  • The Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) is an ambush predator.  Utilizing its superb camouflage it waits for unsuspecting insect prey to come withing striking distance.  Pictured here is a juvenile specimen. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus), female. Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.
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  • Leaf-legged Katydid (Eulophophyllum lobulatum), female. Mount Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Attending to its web only at night, the Twig Spider (Poltys elevatus) rests by day, tucking its legs and remaining completely motionless. Its bizarre elongated abdomen gives it the amazing mimicry of a shriveled petiole, allowing the spider to remain undetected by predators. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • With night vision hundreds of times more sensitive than ours and the ability to discern color even in near total darkness, Madagascar’s leaf-tailed geckos (Uroplatus spp.) are superbly adapted as nocturnal insect hunters. Large eyes, however, demand special maintenance. Like most geckos, Uroplatus have no eyelids and cannot blink; instead, they utilize their long tongues like windshield wipers, keeping their eyes moist and clean. This is a young male Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (U. phantasticus), a denizen of the island’s rainforest zone and a superb mimic of dead foliage. Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.
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  • Males of the Madagascar's Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus) can usually be distinguished by their elaborately notched tails, a trait which gives them better mimicry of a leaf that has been partially eaten by insects. Exactly why this is a sexually dimorphic feature in these geckos is unknown, but in some animals different camouflage patterns in males and females can arise where each sex spends their time hiding in different locations and thus face differing selective pressures on their appearance. Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.
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  • In the Borneo rainforest, leaves are not always what they seem. Here, a beam of sunlight filtering down from the canopy illuminates an extraordinary insect. Officially described and named just last year, this leaf katydid (Eulophophyllum lobulatum) is one of two species in its genus on mainland Borneo that share the unusual wings and leaf-like legs, rendering it a marvel of animal crypsis. Although this male specimen is lime-green, females bear a striking pinkish coloration. Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A juvenile leaf insect (Nanophyllium australianum) from the rainforest of Iron Range National Park. Queensland, Australia.
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  • Males of the Madagascar's Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus) can usually be distinguished by their elaborately notched tails, a trait which gives them better mimicry of a leaf that has been partially eaten by insects. Exactly why this is a sexually dimorphic feature in these geckos is unknown, but in some animals different camouflage patterns in males and females can arise where each sex spends their time hiding in different locations and thus face differing selective pressures on their appearance. Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.
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  • A nesting Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) in the dense mangrove forest of Colombia’s Utría National Park. Rather than construct a nest, the bird deposits its single egg in a small depression along a branch. Active only by night, potoos sit motionless during the day, using their incredible camouflage to remain hidden. Choco, Colombia.
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  • A master of camouflage, this rare stick insect (Trychopeplus laciniatus) is perfectly suited for its arboreal lifestyle in the mossy forests of Central America. It feeds exclusively on the foliage of several epiphytic orchid species. Cartago, Costa Rica.
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  • It’s hard at first glance not to be fooled by the appearance of this wasp-mimicking katydid (Aganacris nitida), which is modeled after a stinging thread-waisted wasp (Eremnophila spp.). To enhance the effectiveness of this masquerade, the katydid also copies the wasp’s quick erratic movements, as most other katydids (especially camouflaged ones) move rather slowly. Katydids possess no chemical or otherwise painful defenses, and make for particularly good meals for predators, which is the driving force behind their remarkable disguises. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • While the majority of katydids masquerade as leaves, this species (Anaphidna sp.) takes on a different strategy: it rests with its wings raised in the air to mimic a lichen-covered twig. The long filamentous antennae of many insects, which can sometimes betray their camouflage to a predator and are thus often kept tucked away for concealment, are in this species deceptively disguised with bends and kinks. Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Mossy masquerade: a young Moss Mimic Katydid (Championica montana) doing what it does best. If you specialize in eating moss it’s a big plus if you look like it as well. In the damp cloud forests of Costa Rica, every surface is covered with dripping wet bryophytes, such as the leaf this katydid is perched on. Although abundant, it’s not the most energy rich food in the world, so these insects conserve their energy by moving slowly while they graze. Faced with a potential threat, they simply lay flat against the mossy substrate and disappear. Limón, Costa Rica.
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  • Some of the most recognizable of all insects, ladybird beetles are brightly colored to warn predators of the potent alkaloids present in their blood, making them not only foul-smelling but also quite toxic. In a classic case of mimicry, this tiny spider (Paraplectana sp. - probably an undescribed species), carries out a convincing masquerade by means of its similar coloration and bulbous domed abdomen. East Kalimantan, Indonesia (Borneo).
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