There is little experimental evidence for the adaptiveness of white as camouflage, though the ornithologist W. Cott noted that both animals that hunt, like polar bear and stoat, and prey animals like ptarmigan and mountain hare, require camouflage to hide from prey or from predators respectively. Cott have echoed his observations, adding that other animals of the Arctic such as musk ox, moose, reindeer, wolverine and raven never become white "even in the coldest parts of their range". The white protective coloration of arctic animals was noted by an early student of camouflage, the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, in his 1889 book Darwinism he listed the polar bear, the American polar hare, the snowy owl and the gyr falcon as remaining white all year, while the arctic fox, arctic hare, ermine and ptarmigan change their colour, and observed "the obvious explanation", that it was for concealment, at a time when Darwinism was at a low ebb. the alpine ptarmigan white in winter, the red-grouse the colour of heather, and the black-grouse that of peaty earth, we must believe that these tints are of service to these birds. Occasionally, aircraft too are repainted in snow camouflage patterns.įurther information: Coloration evidence for natural selectionĬharles Darwin mentioned the white winter coloration of the ptarmigan in his 1859 Origin of Species: Vehicles and guns are often simply repainted in white. Some armies have made use of reversible uniforms, printed in different seasonal patterns on their two sides. In military usage, soldiers often either exchange their disruptively-patterned summer uniforms for thicker snow camouflage uniforms printed with mainly-white versions of camouflage patterns in winter, or they wear white overalls over their uniforms. Some high Arctic species like the snowy owl and polar bear however remain white all year round. This was used as early evidence for natural selection. Since these have evolved separately, the similar appearance is due to convergent evolution. It is found in birds such as the rock ptarmigan, lagomorphs such as the Arctic hare, mustelids such as the stoat, and one canid, the Arctic fox. Summer patterns are typically disruptively patterned combinations of shades of browns and greys, up to black, while winter patterns are dominated by white to match snowy landscapes.Īmong animals, variable snow camouflage is a type of seasonal polyphenism with a distinct winter plumage or pelage. Snow camouflage is the use of a coloration or pattern for effective camouflage in winter, often combined with a different summer camouflage. There are at least 11 soldiers in the image. Red Army soldiers in snow camouflage near Moscow, December 1941.
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