Camouflage – adaptations that prevent detection and/or recognition – is a key example of evolution by natural selection, making it a primary focus in evolutionary ecology and animal behaviour. Most work has focused on camouflage as an anti‐predator adaptation. However, predators also display specific colours, patterns and behaviours that reduce visual detection or recognition to facilitate predation. To date, very little attention has been given to predatory camouflage strategies. Although many of the same principles of camouflage studied in prey translate to predators, differences between the two groups (in motility, relative size, and control over the time and place of predation attempts) may alter selection pressures for certain visual and behavioural traits. This makes many predatory camouflage techniques unique and rarely documented. Recently, new technologies have emerged that provide a greater opportunity to carry out research on natural predator–prey interactions. Here we review work on the camouflage strategies used by pursuit and ambush predators to evade detection and recognition by prey, as well as looking at how work on prey camouflage can be applied to predators in order to understand how and why specific predatory camouflage strategies may have evolved. We highlight that a shift is needed in camouflage research focus, as this field has comparatively neglected camouflage in predators, and offer suggestions for future work that would help to improve our understanding of camouflage.

中文翻译：

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捕食者的伪装

伪装——防止检测和/或识别的适应——是自然选择进化的一个关键例子，使其成为进化生态学和动物行为的主要焦点。大多数工作都集中在伪装作为一种反捕食者的适应上。然而，捕食者也会表现出特定的颜色、图案和行为，这些颜色、图案和行为会减少视觉检测或识别以促进捕食。迄今为止，很少有人关注掠夺性伪装策略。尽管在猎物中研究的许多相同的伪装原理转化为捕食者，但两组之间的差异（运动性、相对大小以及对捕食尝试的时间和地点的控制）可能会改变某些视觉和行为特征的选择压力。这使得许多掠夺性伪装技术独一无二且鲜有记载。最近，新技术的出现为开展自然捕食者-猎物相互作用的研究提供了更大的机会。在这里，我们回顾了追捕和伏击捕食者用来逃避猎物检测和识别的伪装策略的工作，以及研究如何将猎物伪装的工作应用于捕食者，以了解特定的掠食性伪装策略如何以及为什么进化了。我们强调伪装研究重点需要转变，因为该领域相对忽视了捕食者的伪装，并为未来的工作提供了建议，以帮助我们提高对伪装的理解。在这里，我们回顾了追捕和伏击捕食者用来逃避猎物检测和识别的伪装策略的工作，以及研究如何将猎物伪装的工作应用于捕食者，以了解特定的掠食性伪装策略如何以及为什么进化了。我们强调伪装研究重点需要转变，因为该领域相对忽视了捕食者的伪装，并为未来的工作提供了建议，以帮助我们提高对伪装的理解。在这里，我们回顾了追捕和伏击捕食者用来逃避猎物检测和识别的伪装策略的工作，以及研究如何将猎物伪装的工作应用于捕食者，以了解特定的掠食性伪装策略如何以及为什么进化了。我们强调伪装研究重点需要转变，因为该领域相对忽视了捕食者的伪装，并为未来的工作提供了建议，以帮助我们提高对伪装的理解。