In the article by The Economist, The complex arms race between predator and prey, the authors discuss various camouflage techniques in the animal kingdom. A competition between two groups, predators and prey, that consume representatives of other groups is camouflage (The Economist, 2022). The objective of prey is to minimize the sending process (The Economist, 2022). In contrast, predators must maximize their awareness of signals from the potential food source (The Economist, 2022).
For instance, the dead leaf butterfly mimics the appearance of withered vegetation. For predators like leopards, patterns help camouflage in long grass and shadowed bushes to remain undetected by their target (The Economist, 2022). In the research by Joo Vitor de Alcantara Viana and colleagues, scholars discovered that camouflaging reduced the percentage of prey that were recognized by around 25% while increasing the rate when a predator spent hunting by over 60% (The Economist, 2022). The dead leaf butterfly, for instance, had the most successful disguise by virtually doubling the number of time predators spent looking for it (The Economist, 2022). Moreover, a moth’s fur can be camouflaged without being visually obvious (The Economist, 2022).
Critique
The article The complex arms race between predator and prey, published by the popular newspaper, The Economist, provides an overview of the evolutionary dynamics in the animal kingdom and a reflection on the modern world. The position of the author is that to survive in the world, various techniques must be applied, such as camouflage, and while this can be useful for prey not to be caught, this is additionally beneficial for predators so they are not detected. In this sense, the arguments provided by the author corroborate this position. The article follows a strong structure, with each paragraph dedicated to one point, starting from the definition of camouflage and moving toward examples and further material. For example, to support the claim that camouflage is frequently seen in nature and is employed by most animals, the author provides examples of penguins, arctic foxes, and tasselled wobbegong sharks (The Economist, 2022). The effectiveness of arguments can be seen through the exact names of the animals and the visual material, such as a picture of the shark that corroborates the statement.
When discussing the use of camouflage in predators, the author effectively used techniques and examples to help the readers visualize the statement. For example, the writer emphasized the patterns of leopards that help them blend in with the bushes (The Economist, 2022). In this situation, the author was successful in arguing their point since they not only made an argument of the use of camouflage among predators with an example of leopard prints but discussed it further, stating how it can be observed in nature with the carnivores blending in with the surroundings.
As for the style of the article, it tends to be informal, with the writer focusing on the general public. Several terms were identified, such as “countershading,” “motion dazzle,” “stealth coat,” and “computer vision dazzle,” with which ordinary readers might be unfamiliar (The Economist, 2022). Yet, with every use of such terms, the author provides an explanation. Additionally, no assumptions were made by the writer since they relied on objectivity rather they personal opinion. However, among the weaknesses of the article can be the lack of scientific names of the animals. Most credible sources rely on the agreed use of scientific Latin names that give more precision. Moreover, the author only mentioned the study’s journal and authors, which they discussed. In this sense, there was no name or date of the article present, which significantly lowers the credibility of the source.
Reference
The Economist. (2022). The complex arms race between predator and prey. The Economist Group Limited. Web.