Menu
Donate
SIGN IN
Email
Save
Tweet
Share

Aeon Video has a monthly newsletter!

Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.

When is a leaf not a leaf? When it’s got six legs and a face

Plenty of creatures use mimicry to conceal themselves from predators, but few are as wholly dedicated to the art of disguise as the giant Malaysian leaf insect (Phyllium giganteum). These clever copycats use protective resemblance to camouflage themselves as the leaves of the fruit plants they feast on, right down to their frayed, browning edges and – in the rare instances when a walk is necessary – employing a swaying gait to mimic the effect of a breeze. Part of KQED’s science documentary series Deep Look, this short video shows how these large insects deliver award-worthy method-acting performances, spending almost their entire lives in a single place doing their best fruit-leaf impression. You can read more about this video at KQED Science.

Video by KQED Science

Producer and Writer: Jenny Oh

Cinematographer: Josh Cassidy

Narrator and Writer: Lauren Sommer

26 November 2019
Email
Save
Tweet
Share

Aeon is not-for-profit and free for everyone

Make a donation

Get Aeon straight to your inbox

Join our newsletter
Ancient wine drinking | Aeon
Save

video

The ancient world

What wine vessels reveal about politics and luxury in ancient Athens and Persia

16 minutes

David Goldblatt in Johannesburg | Aeon
Save

video

Art

David Goldblatt captured the contradictions of apartheid in stark black and white

15 minutes

Water worlds | Aeon
Save

video

Space exploration

In the search for life, might alien ocean worlds be a better bet than Earth-like planets?

5 minutes

Our ark | Aeon
Save

video

Thinkers and theories

Is simulation theory a way to shirk responsibility for the world we’ve created?

13 minutes

WoodSwimmer | Aeon
Save

video

Biology

A dazzling slice-by-slice exploration of wood exposes hidden patterns and hues

2 minutes

Ndagukunda déjà (I love you, already) | Aeon
Save

video

Family life

In Rwanda, Sébastien finds traces of personal history in the wake of national tragedy

21 minutes

Shakespeare’s First Folio | Aeon
Save

video

Dance and theatre

Leaf through Shakespeare’s First Folio for a riveting journey into theatre history

13 minutes

How to design architecture for wildlife | Aeon
Save

video

Architecture

Modern architecture should embrace – not ignore or repel – the nonhuman world

8 minutes

Mao’s mango cult | Aeon
Save

video

Nations and empires

The strange tale of how mangoes became hallowed objects in Maoist China

6 minutes