Survival can become a challenging task in the wild – especially if you’re smaller or slower than your possible predators. This is why many animal species have developed different ways to camouflage themselves throughout the course of evolution. Ways to camouflage differ depending mostly on three factors: the physiology and behavior of the animal, then those of the predator and the environment, in which the animal lives and hunts its food. Blending in with the environment is the most common approach.

Natural selection plays its part here as well: as the way in which an animal camouflages itself is determined genetically, every new generation adapts to its surroundings better. What usually happens is than an animal imitates the coloration of its natural habitat, although some species are known to be able to adjust their coloration. The most common example is a chameleon, although some furry animals and birds may loose their feathers and fur completely and replace it with a new one for a new season.

Surprisingly, sometimes the best way to camouflage oneself is to stick with the herd: for example, when a lion walk by a bunch of zebras, it only sees a big striped mass. Some fish that are covered in bright vertical stripes might also be clearly visible when alone, but if a large group of them swims by, a predator will see an unidentified colored blob. Without further ado, here are 20 amazing examples of animal camouflage. Can you find all the animals?

Professor Daniel Janzen photographs the snake-like bug that wards off predators by looking and acting like a snake; found in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Belize

The snake caterpillar uses a clever disguise to ward off predators. A caterpillar in Costa Rica uses a unique disguise to ward off predators and the costume is quite striking, as is its response should it be approached. The caterpillar cleverly camouflages itself as a slithering snake and comes with a head that looks like a snake. The snake caterpillar, in its larval state before becoming a moth, will also strike harmlessly if approached, just as a snake would, with the exception of a potential bite. According to Caters News Agency, the bug creates the illusion of looking like a dangerous reptile by expanding parts at the end of its body. Daniel Janzen, a professor of biology at the University of Pennsylvania, took the photos you see here while cataloguing caterpillars in the Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Caters News Agency released the photos on Tuesday.

“To normal people this caterpillar might look weird and scary, but for me it’s just a walk in the park,” Janzen told the U.K. MailOnline. “Every caterpillar in Costa Rica looks like something else, be it a leaf, twig, or in this case, a slithering snake.” The snake caterpillar will even strike out like a snake, though it has no bite.  Janzen knows a few things about caterpillars. 

He’s been tracking them in Costa Rica since 1978 and has been an insect expert for 50 years, according to MailOnline. He spends half a year at the university and the other half in Central America searching for unusual creatures like the snake caterpillar, which can be found in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico. He said they are part of the hemeroplanes species. “Over the years, I’ve seen and photographed so many different types of bugs [that] I’m never surprised,” he told MailOnline. “But they always interest me.” It might not surprise him, but we’re certainly surprised. The snake caterpillar is from the hemeroplanes species.