List of camouflage methods

|+ Examples of camouflage methods in animal and military usage

! scope=col width=150px | Method

! scope=col width=150px | Poulton
category

! scope=col | Terrestrial, aerial

! scope=col | Aquatic

! scope=col | Military

| rowspan=2|Mimesis:
resembling something not of interest to the observer

| Colour matching:
having similar colours to the environment, also known as background matching

| Disruptive coloration:
having high contrast coloration that breaks up outlines, so observers fail to recognise the object

| Disruptive eye mask:
a disruptive pattern that covers or runs up to the eyes, concealing them

| Seasonal variation:
having coloration that varies with season, usually summer to winter

| Side or Thayer countershading:
having graded toning from dark above to light below, so as to cancel out the apparent effect of self-shadowing when viewed from the side

| Above/below countershading:
having different colours or patterns above and below, to camouflage the upperside for observers from above, and the underside for observers from below

| Counterillumination:
generating light to raise the brightness of an object to match a brighter background, as of a marine animal's underside against the sea surface

| Transparency:
letting so much light through that the object is hard to see in typical lighting conditions

| Reflection (silvering):
reflecting enough light, usually from the sides, to make the object show as a (reflected) patch of the environment

| Self-decoration:
covering oneself in materials from the environment

| Concealment of shadow:
having features such as flanges or a flattened body to reduce or hide the shadow

| Irregular outline:
having a broken or complex outline (that may help delay recognition by an observer)

| Distraction:
having coloration that distracts an observer's attention away from a feature of the object (such as the head or eye)

| Distractive markings
Small conspicuous marks that distract an observer's attention from recognising the object as a whole{{cite journal |last1=Dimitrova |first1=M. |last2=Stobbe |first2=N. |last3=Schaefer |first3=H. M. |last4=Merilaita |first4=S. |title=Concealed by conspicuousness: distractive prey markings and backgrounds |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=276 |issue=1663 |year=2009 |pages=1905–1910 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2009.0052|pmid=19324754 |pmc=2674505 }}

| Active camouflage:
changing the coloration rapidly enough to maintain resemblance to the current background while moving

| Motion camouflage:
following a track such that the object remains between a starting point and the target (e.g. prey) at all times, rather than going straight for the target

| Motion dazzle:
rapidly moving a bold pattern of contrasting stripes, confusing an observer's visual processing{{cite journal | title=Dazzle Camouflage Affects Speed Perception |author1=Scott-Samuel, NE |author2=Baddeley, R |author3=Palmer, CE |author4=Cuthill, IC | journal=PLOS ONE |date=June 2011 | volume=6 | issue=6 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0020233 | editor1-last=Burr | editor1-first=David C | page=e20233 | pmid=21673797 | pmc=3105982| bibcode=2011PLoSO...620233S |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal | title=Motion camouflage induced by zebra stripes |author1=How, Martin J. |author2=Zanker, Johannes M. | journal=Zoology | year=2014 | pages=163–70 | doi=10.1016/j.zool.2013.10.004 | pmid=24368147 | volume=117| issue=3 |url=https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:319813/UQ319813.pdf }}