Category Archives: Crypsis Challenges

Crypsis Challenge #5

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

January 27, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil

What sort of critter is hidden here?

Posted in Crypsis Challenges | 4 Comments

Crypsis Challenge #4 Reveal

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

Hopefully it didn’t take more than a few seconds to spot the katydid in this image.

January 27, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil

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Crypsis challenge #4

Posted on October 16, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

January 27, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil

This should be an easy one. The next one should be a bit more difficult.

Posted in Crypsis Challenges | 2 Comments

Crypsis Challenge #3 Reveal

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

Did you find the critter hidden in this image?

January 28, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Ted C. MacRae did and correctly identified it as a stick grasshopper in the family Proscopiidae. As a reward, my next post will be a tiger beetle.

If you still need help finding it, here’s an outline and a cropped version.

Outlined

Cropped

Hopefully this one was bit more challenging. I didn’t spot the critter in this setting. It was originally higher up in some foliage and only jumped to the ground in a failed effort to escape my photographic pursuit.

Note the short antenna which makes it easy to distinguish these from walkingsticks. read more

Posted in Crypsis Challenges | 3 Comments

Crypsis Challenge #3

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

January 28, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Can you find and identify (generally, nothing more specific than family) the critter here?

Posted in Crypsis Challenges | 2 Comments

Crypsis Challenge #2 Reveal

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

January 26, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil

I suspect most people didn’t have too much difficulty finding the caterpillar in the image above (upper right, in the middle of a fern leaflet). Here’s another shot.

Caterpillar Closeup

I like how the white bands help break up the body and coincide nicely with the gaps on the little fern leaves. Looking up from below, it just sort of disappears against the light filtering from above.

I first spotted this caterpillar the previous night by the light of a headlamp. It stood out under those lighting conditions, but I resolved to return the next day and try to take some photos under natural lighting. read more

Posted in Crypsis Challenges | 1 Comment

Crypsis Challenge #2

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

January 26, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil

This challenge should be a good bit easier than the last one. Remember you can click on the photo to see a larger version.

One thing I find challenging for these types of shots is trying to reproduce what the eye sees (or doesn’t see as the case may be). The flash tends to make whatever was previously relatively hidden stand out.

I actually spotted this critter the night before. Using a headlamp, just like a camera flash, tends to make otherwise difficult to spot things stand out. I returned the following day to attempt the shot above. read more

Posted in Crypsis Challenges | 4 Comments

Crypsis Challenge #1 Reveal

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

July 2, 2010 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA

Did you spot the hidden critter from this earlier post? No one commented, but I’ll go ahead and reveal the answer.

There’s a hint about two thirds of the way down on the left hand side. That’s a lacewing egg on a thread. And just to the right of that is the creature itself, a trash carrying lacewing larva. I circled the two in red below.

Reveal

Still having trouble seeing it? Try this side view.

Side View

Of course, all you can really see is the debris. To see the actual critter, you have to turn it over, as I did here. read more

Posted in Crypsis Challenges | 1 Comment

Crypsis Challenge #1

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

July 2, 2010 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA

I plan to regularly post challenges like this. Can you find what’s hidden in this photo? I’ll follow-up with more info in a subsequent post. Again, I’m posting this before the site is public, so I’ll wait until I have some guesses in the comments before revealing the answer.

Posted in Crypsis Challenges | 2 Comments