The sand viper buries itself in the Saharan desert sand, leaving only a small part of its tail in the open, wiggling it. The lizard thinks it has spotted an insect and makes a dash for it, only to become the snake’s meal. Scientists call this ‘caudal luring’, (cauda means tail in Latin).
Deception is a part of nature, and not just human. Caudal luring is a game of bait-and-wait. Animals trick for treat, cheat for feast and deceive to achieve. They are great imposters and master illusionists. Even plants are not innocuous. The pitcher plant, for instance, lures and traps insects in its sticky ‘pitcher’. James O’Hanlon has chronicled some of these interesting animal behaviours in his recent book, Liars, Cheats, and Copycats: Trickery and Deception in Nature.
The Australian zoologist, journeying through landscapes rich in exotic life, such as rainforests and ocean trenches, writes about the praying mantis that looks like an innocent pink flower, attracting insects. He writes about the assassin bug, which strums a spider’s web, mimicking the vibrations of a trapped insect. The spider, expecting dinner, becomes dinner itself. And then there is the male cuttlefish, which changes its appearance to conceal its romantic intentions. Whoever bothered about honesty in courtship!
O’Hanlon takes us through camouflage, mimicry and masquerade, showing how animals and plants deceive others to avoid being eaten, catch prey or reproduce.
But there is a more intriguing question lurking beneath these entertaining stories. Can animals actually lie? Human deception usually implies an ‘intention’ to mislead. In nature, animals perhaps lie without knowing they are doing so. Or maybe they do. We may never know.
Published on November 2, 2026
