Some animals are true biological masters of disguise, and this applies to megafauna just as much as it does to insects or little sea creatures. In the case of leopards, the camouflage adaptation can be truly remarkable with the right background.
A photo captured back in 2019 by photographer Hemant Dabi demonstrates its own chameleon tendencies to perfection.
As Dabi explained recently to the website Lad Bible, he wasn’t able to see the big cat even when standing right in front of it.
The picture in question resurfaced recently due to his comments on the site.
After many other viewers of the photo also had a hard time seeing the leopard even after in some cases staring at it for several minutes, Dabi reassured them by explaining that even in real life, the cat was nearly invisible.
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Dani also gave a bit more context by saying, “When I took this photo at that time he was giving alarm call on seeing another leopard,”
According to the photographer, he was just several feet away from the cat at the time and only took the photo when he heard the leopard give an alarm call, but and only noticed where exactly the feline was when it waved its tail.
The photo originally went viral after being shared by environmentalist Bella Lack on her Twitter feed with the caption, “Someone just sent this to me and asked me to find the leopard. I was convinced it was a joke… until I found the leopard. Can you spot it?”
Someone just sent this to me and asked me to find the leopard. I was convinced it was a joke… until I found the leopard. Can you spot it? pic.twitter.com/hm8ASroFAo
— Bella Lack (@BellaLack) September 27, 2019
Thousands who saw the tweeted photo were scratching their heads afterward and some couldn’t spot the cat at all. As one Tweeter commented, “Someone please pm me the answer. I’m gonna go crazy if I stare at this dirt anymore.”
Even once you do see the leopard, it’s still far from obvious where it is in the image.
We’ve left the original photo here without any pointers, but check out Lad Bible’s link for an edited image if you too simply can’t spot it.
Leopards, which live in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of western and central Asia, are one of the apex predators in their range.
These huge cats can weigh up to 90 kilograms (200 lbs) and have a maximum body length (with tail included) of roughly 8 feet (2.6 meters).
Their distinct and beautiful pattern of stain-like, semi-uniform sports on yellowish-beige fur gives them superb camouflage capabilities in the dry landscapes they like to inhabit.
Dabi’s shot isn’t the first example of a photographer stunning the world with pictures of leopards making themselves invisible in plain sight.
In 2021, photographer Ismail Shariff shared images of snow leopards being extremely hard to spot among rocks in the Indian Himalayas.
The snow leopard is a smaller, bushier cousin of the classic leopard and lives in high-altitude, barren regions of central and southern Asia. It’s just as much as or even more a master of disguise than its big cousin.
As for Hemant Dabi, other examples of his work are available on his website and Instagram page.
