Final answer:
Animals use physical adaptations like camouflage and mimicry to escape predation. Camouflage helps them blend in, while mimicry makes them appear similar to other, often more dangerous, species. Other strategies include speed and group behaviors like playing dead or moving in large groups.
Step-by-step explanation:
Adaptations Animals Use to Escape Predation
Many animals have developed physical adaptations to escape from predators, key among these being camouflage and mimicry. Camouflage allows animals to blend into their surroundings and avoid detection. For example, the tropical walking stick insect resembles a twig, making it difficult to spot when still.
The chameleon can change its color to match its environment, though with limitations. On the other hand, mimicry involves one species evolving to visually resemble another, often more dangerous or less palatable species, as a form of protection. A non-poisonous dart frog, for instance, might evolve to look like its poisonous counterpart to deter predators.
Other physical adaptations for escaping predation include the rapid speed of a rabbit to flee from predators, and lizards basking on rocks to increase their body temperature thus improving their reaction time to evade predators. In addition to these adaptations, behavior such as playing dead or moving in large groups like schools of fish can also serve as mechanisms to reduce the likelihood of being preyed upon.