Camouflage of prey and predator

Look carefully at the picture. Do you spot a dry leaf? 

Well, that wasn't a dry leaf. It is the defense mechanism of an Autumn Leaf butterfly. It is named so because it closely resembles a dry leaf to deceive the predators...

Now look at this picture. Can you spot something within the dried branches and leaves?

Sitting at the edge of a dried branch is a Mantis. Mantis is an ambush predator that feeds on live prey within its reach. It camouflages itself and remains stationary, waiting for prey to approach...

Where did I find them?

On my recent visit to Mangalore, I visited Sammilan Shetty Butterfly Park which is located around 42 Km north of Mangalore.

Sammilan Shetty’s Butterfly Park was set up in the year 2011 by Sammilan Shetty, a young nature lover and butterfly enthusiast. Situated at Belvai, at the foothills of the Western Ghats, (on Moodabidri – Karkala road), the park is a treasure house of a wide variety of butterflies belonging to this region. The park is spread across 7.35 acres of land and hosts more than 100 species of butterflies, including some of the endemic and most dazzling butterflies of the world. The park is developed on natural greenery and the butterflies are also natural inhabitants of the park. The park respects the butterfly’s freedom and no dome or enclosure is maintained to keep them trapped within the park. Only suitable conditions which are conducive to different varieties of butterflies are created to attract them to the park. The park hosts a significant variety of naturally found host plants and the result is the thriving bio-diversity in the park. Efforts to propagate more native host plants to support the caterpillar stage of butterflies are in progress. The park is being run with service motive and is not a commercial undertaking.

You can check their Facebook page here >> https://www.facebook.com/SammilanShettysButterflyPark/