YOU never know what you will find in the rainforests of . Nestled in a thin forest corridor that connects habitats in North and South America, it is a crucial pit stop for migratory species and holds a huge array of wildlife, including jaguars, snakes and hummingbirds. It also hosts this master of disguise: a leaf-mimic katydid (Cycloptera sp.).
This insect is just 5 centimetres from its head to the tip of its abdomen, but a bit over double that if you include the long antennae, says photographer .
Advertisement
Katydids don鈥檛 stop at mimicking healthy leaves 鈥� they have perfected realistically tattered foliage, complete with speckles of discolouration, holes and sections at the fringes that look as though they are dying or diseased. This helps them avoid predators like monkeys, which comb through the vegetation in search of snacks.
Katydids are hard to spot during the day, when they stand stock still. It is only at night, when they slowly munch on leaves, that the gentle wave of those antennae might give them away.
To get the natural look of this shot, Bolt had to compensate for the deep shadows of the rainforest. First, he took an exposure of the background. Then he used a soft diffuser to highlight the insect. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want the viewer to think about flash or any 鈥榟and of man鈥�,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 want them to mentally step into the scene and feel awe about this amazing creature.鈥�
Photographer
Clay Bolt,
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淲hat Katy did鈥�
