Liars, cheats and copycats: Trickery and deception in nature

by James O'Hanlon

Meet some of the world’s most dastardly creatures, who lie, cheat and deceive for a living.
There’s the deadly praying mantis that looks like an innocent pink flower. The assassin bug that strums spider webs to lure in a tasty snack. The cuttlefish that changes colour to hide its romantic intentions.
To understand how these creatures swindle their way to the top, Liars, Cheats and Copycats reveals the science behind camouflage, mimicry and masquerade. Taking readers on a journey from tropical rainforests to the darkness of deep ocean trenches, James O’Hanlon explores how animals and plants use deception to avoid predators, lure in prey and even reproduce.
From creatures that disappear in front of your eyes to ones that misdirect their foes like masterful magicians, there are endless ways that animals can swindle their way to survival.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Animals, Environment

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2025

Reviews

[✨ gabi ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Thanks Netgalley and James O'Hanlon for the ARC!

Incredible book. I finished this thinking that nature is marvelous and wanting to be friends with James O’Hanlon. Scientific communication is a difficult art that this guy is proficient in.

You gotta give him props for managing to entertain us for over 200 pages while 90% of the conclusions are “we don't know, we're still figuring that shit out”. It feels more authentic, more truthful than science nonfiction books, specially in the land of “scientific” self-help, that spout any number of half-truths as absolutes of the universe. Still, the book is full of fucking insane information and is organized in way that makes the reading flow exceptionally well.

The author has such a fun writing style. It’s not preachy, it’s not overly scientific and it’s appropriate to lay people. Besides, he is funny. I usually don't like when we have personal anecdotes, I think they tend to be distracting and unnecessary, but the few ones in this hit a sweet spot of useful for the comprehension of the material and short enough to not become personal ramblings.

When James explained about countershading I was genuinely impressed. That's fucking sick. The discovery of the difference between avoiding detection and avoid recognition was mind-boggling. What you mean, baby chicks are smart like that? This did sign to me I was reading a great book: it left me with a new sense of appreciation and awe for nature and all its organisms. What a strange, bizarre and wonderful world we live in.

Related to that, I did find very funny when he said to turn to the next page's illustration to a better understanding and I turn, expecting something almost photo realistic, and it's almost like stick figures. My mistake, and I did cackle at that. It was a very useful stick figure drawing!

In this vein, I would've LOVED to have images in this book, I think it would make the reading experience even better. However, I can appreciate the near impossibility of such an ask when James talks about dozens of animals in a single chapter, including a few ones we have never seen exist in their natural habitat, so I (magnanimous person that I am) understand the lack of cute animal photos. Still, would've been cool.

I'm so happy we get into the mental/psychological aspect of what “deception” entails for those animals. We spend the whole book being reminded that the manner in which we see the world varies greatly from most other animals. Still, unconsciously, you think, as you read, as the tricks that they pull are somehow almost villainous—it can't be all about natural selection and luck, but it is and it's interesting to delve into the moralistic notions we apply to neutral aspects of nature. I can’t recommend this enough.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liars, Cheats and Copycats doesn’t just feature your garden-variety hares and octopi. Instead, we’re introduced to such obscure creatures as Japanese quail, horned ghost crabs and Iranian spider-tailed vipers. Even the most avid armchair ecologists will learn something from this book.

Despite his obvious knowledge, I enjoyed the author’s self-deprecating style : “I spent an embarrassing amount of time walking through forests not finding anything at all.” …. “It turned out to be very hard” to become the first person to study orchard praying mantises in the wild. Maybe this tone was so inviting because it is always interesting to delve into a field with so many unanswered questions?

It was great to be introduced to things we might intuitively understand to be camouflage, but not actively categorise as such, like sound, scent or behaviour. The discussions of animal psychology and uncertainty around their awareness was unexpected, but also very welcome.

A very fast-paced read, which necessitated some compromises on depth: at times the narrative was practically tripping over itself in its haste to tell us about the next case study. I wish we’d had more about the unique and inventive methodologies researchers used to come to their conclusions (the bit about the cuttlefish collars was very cool!). Maybe a bit more about applications of camouflage principles too?

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Columbia University Press for the eARC.

[Liam Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun read. I learnt a great deal about all things deceptive in the Animal world, and how there is much, much more out there than the eye can see.

[sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

**⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️¾ (4.75 Stars)**

Thank you to James O'Hanlon, Columbia University Press and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

*Liars, Cheats, and Copycats: Trickery and Deception in Nature* by **James O'Hanlon** is a fascinating, entertaining, and wonderfully accessible look at one of nature's most surprising survival tools: deception. Equal parts science lesson and collection of unbelievable true stories, this book constantly left me amazed at just how cunning the natural world can be.

What makes this book so engaging is O'Hanlon's ability to take complex biological concepts and explain them in a way that feels effortless and fun. Whether discussing camouflage, mimicry, masquerade, or other forms of evolutionary trickery, he never loses sight of the sense of wonder that makes these subjects so captivating in the first place. I learned a tremendous amount while never feeling like I was reading a textbook.

The creatures featured throughout the book are absolutely incredible. From orchid mantises disguising themselves as flowers to lure prey, to assassin bugs manipulating spider webs, to cuttlefish hiding their romantic intentions through astonishing color changes, every chapter introduces another example that seems almost too bizarre to be real. Time and again I found myself stopping to think, "How is this actually possible?" Nature truly is stranger than fiction.

One of the book's greatest strengths is its balance between scientific depth and readability. O'Hanlon clearly knows his subject inside and out, but he writes with enthusiasm, humor, and clarity that make even the more technical discussions approachable. The explanations of how these deceptive strategies evolved were particularly interesting, adding layers of understanding beyond simply presenting unusual animal behaviors.

I also appreciated the global scope of the book. Readers are taken from rainforests to deserts, oceans to forests, encountering an incredible diversity of life along the way. The sheer variety of examples prevents the book from ever feeling repetitive, and each new chapter offers fresh surprises.

Beyond the fascinating animal stories, the book serves as a reminder of how powerful evolution can be. The endless arms race between predators and prey has produced some truly astonishing adaptations, and O'Hanlon does an excellent job showing how deception has become one of nature's most effective survival strategies.

The only reason this isn't a full five-star read for me is that a few sections become slightly more scientific and detailed than the average casual reader may need. However, even those moments are packed with interesting information and never detract significantly from the overall enjoyment.

Overall, *Liars, Cheats, and Copycats* is a delightfully clever and endlessly fascinating exploration of the natural world's greatest tricksters. It's informative, funny, surprising, and filled with the kind of facts you'll immediately want to share with everyone around you.

If you enjoy popular science, wildlife books, or simply learning about the strange and wonderful ways animals survive, this is an easy recommendation. James O'Hanlon has created a book that is both educational and enormously entertaining—a brilliant celebration of nature's greatest con artists.

[Sudipta Nandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book immediately hooks with the adventurous undertone of the quest for Orchid Mantis.

A chance for what have never studied before—and that too in the forest of Malaysia—with the visual pun and characters like the local wildlife expert, Durian and the eerie sensation of being in a tiger habitat make the introduction haunting. So, the question of orange tiger in a green background camouflage stays with the readers until we reach the answer later. The knowledge of deceptive traits and the biological reasons shared in this book are visually appealing, although they are conveyed through text and a few illustrations.

And, a question stays even after finishing the book:
If a subtle colour gradient can create such deception, then the world beyond our sensory range—who knows what is happening there?!


I am surprised to learn that there is still too much to learn. Like the why(s) behind frogs in tarantula burrows, female flowers and certain pollinator workflows, etc. The range of such diverse camouflage enthralls me. From basic colour matching, via circadian rhythm, animals’ perspective of camouflage, colorblind(!) cephalopods’ coloured chromatophores, cuttlefish and octopuses’ textural changes, to the colour-deciphering theories, it is a joyous journey. The SS Bombo wreck scuba memory is intriguing. Different light environments at different sea depths and the relevant camouflage strategies are overwhelming.

I see the colour white in a different light now!

Both the midnight and twilight zones’ camouflage strategies hit differently. However, the most exciting parts are the anglerfish with 99.956% light absorption, photoreception differences in animals, and countershading and counterillumination. The connection between protective zebra stripes and tsetse flies is surprising. Another page-turner is aposematism and the way the author touches on Müllerian and Bayesian mimicries here.

The book moves from animal to plant camouflage quite smoothly. Semaphore plant rotation, dazzle motion, the hognose snake, and deceptive pollination to avoid inbreeding are going to stay with me. The journey from sexual deception to parasitism is an interesting topic, and squirrels’ and monkeys’ social deceptions are funny. Drongos’ and cuckoos’ manipulation tactics are so intriguing that I am searching for more books on them.


There are lots of theories and questions. However, the information density never seems forced, and the flow is so smooth that I can reread it a thousand times, focusing on different parts. A required read for anyone interested in nature’s mystery.

[B.P. Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Published in Tasmanian Times]

The best popular science books not only reveal marvellous things about our world, and surprise us with the latest findings, but also ask questions we can’t answer yet. James O’Hanlon’s Liars, Cheats and Copycats manages all three in a relaxed, good-humoured and unpretentious style that makes the book an engaging and thoroughly entertaining read.

In uncovering ‘trickery and deception in nature’, O’Hanlon, artist, scientist, storyteller and author of Silk and Venom, goes well beyond the mysteries of tigers’ stripes, clever camouflage and defensive strategies to avoid harm or trick the unwary.

Do zebras’ distinctive look-at-me stripes disguise them from predators? No, but the answer isn’t obvious, and the real predator that zebras confound with those unmissable hides is one that took science to a surprising conclusion.

There are so many types of camouflage – some to attract or misdirect, chemical camouflage to hide or lure, behavioural trickery to win out over rivals for resources, auditory deception and many others beyond the range of our human senses.

Incredibly, plants too are able to deceive, confuse or disappear to attract or repel whom they, and the processes of evolution, choose. There are orchids that gaslight insects to manipulate the sex ratios of their pollinators to increase their number. There is an incredible vine whose leaves mimic whatever plant or tree they’re growing across to look less delicious, in the same way a chameleon or cuttlefish might change shape and colouration to blend in.

The strategies are so many, and some so sophisticated, that the author, like most field botanists and biologists, asks a forbidden question: can animals lie?

There is an unwritten law in biology to never anthropomorphise – to never attribute human-like behaviours to other fauna or flora – so the strict answer is ‘no’. But, keep topping up O’Hanlon’s glass and, toward the end of the evening, you might just get a more nuanced, even emphatic, bar-thumping answer to the positive.

There is the marvellous ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of camouflage and deception, the stunning mechanisms of evolution that produce literal wonders, but, as in all sciences, there are always more unanswered questions to ask. And that, my friends, is what science is about – curiosity, uncertainty and the discovery of better questions to ask.

Another marvellous little book from O’Hanlon, and a great preface to any time spent in the natural world to ensure you’ll be asking ‘what am I seeing’ and ‘what am I not?’

[A Reader's Plight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Liars, Cheats, and Copycats by James O'Hanlon

Thank you tremendously to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for the eARC of this book! Such a great and enjoyable read!

Ratings out of 5
- Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Information: 🧠🧠🧠🧠🧠
- Humor: 🎭🎭🎭🎭
- Writing Style: ✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️

Favorite Thing Learned
Out of all of the crazy things in this book... I think the main thing I took away is that there are so many more forms of mimicry and deception than I thought there were. It boggles my mind because I truly thought I had a fairly thorough understanding of mimicry and deception in the animal world from my classes and outside studies.

Additional Notes
> This book was profoundly packed with knowledge and all of it was presented in such an easy to read and understand way that I absolutely adored. I truly feel as though any layperson could read and grasp the information presented in this book fairly easily. A very accessible manner to present scientific information without the need for tons of prior background knowledge.
> The humor was actually really good in this book and just got better as it continued. I found myself really enjoying some of the witty quips and remarks throughout the book.
> I cannot even begin to explain how gripping this book was to me. I just could not put it down. I mean, I finished it in two days. I really did find it fascinating and enjoyable, not to mention I feel like I learned a ton. I didn't even realize I was reading so much in each sitting.
> The references are all listed at the end of the book which is great for anyone that wants to dive into the harder science (I love that). Also the photographs added to the end of the book are so beautiful.
> The information is presented mainly using examples and I love that. I feel that it helps people understand better and gives people things to compare or apply the concepts to in real life (or even see how some of these concepts can/do play out in real life).
> I wish that there was maybe a short call to action at the end, but that didn't prevent me from giving this book lower than the rating I feel it truly deserves, it's more of just a personal thing for me as a conservationist.

[Jan Mawdesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Trish Palmer for New South Books and Bluewolf Reviews.
Not only the title of this book, ‘Liars, Cheats and Copycats’ surprising, but the illustrations on the front cover also make it a must read. James O’Hanlon is well known for his science writing and his previous novel, “Silk and Venom.” When the author completed his studies, he was inspired to travel to Malaysia to search for a rare mantis.
He was full of excitement and enthusiasm, not worried about stories of the tigers who roamed the jungle, after all, surely a bright orange striped, large animal would be easy to spot. However, in a rainforest the complexity of tree trunks, shrubs and shadows in the dense undergrowth make the perfect camouflage for this animal. This may have been the catalyst which helped James to explore the many ways that plants and animals deceive.
Animals find many places to hide, and the author describes some, like the small crab who hides inside the anus of the sea cucumber. However, hiding is not the best solution for staying safe. Birds and animals use camouflage, and scientists are just discovering how this mode can “Hack the circuits of other animals’ eyes and minds.” There is also the adaptation that animals use when they change colour. They can do this in a few seconds.
Plants have ways of deterring unwanted guests. One plant has small paddle shaped leaves which slowly rotate. It may be that this gives the image of a butterfly settling and may deter other butterflies from stopping and laying eggs on that leaf. Orchids also can pose a threat to insects by mimicking plants who have abundant pollens. There are stories told about bugs who attract ants, allow them to bite, then jump on the ant’s head and kill it.
James’ light, style, simple descriptions, fun stories and facts make this an entertaining book to read and an amazing introduction to the world of nature.

Available for Pre Order.

[Marles Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Do animals even know what sticks are?”

James O’Hanlon, known for explores nature’s deception in Liars, Cheats and Copycats. Inspired by his search for a rare mantis in Malaysia, O’Hanlon examined how animals and plants use camouflage, deception, mimicry, and masquerade to survive. From lying butterflies (I left out O’Hanlon’s expletive reference to butterflies!) crab parasites, cuckoos (if I write koel, a species of cuckoos, many Aussies will groan lol) to colour-changing cuttlefish, he explored some of the many fascinating adaptations that let these creatures hide, hunt, steal, or reproduce through trickery. Plants are just as deceptive with moving parts, as well as insects pretending to be orchids to lure in their prey.

This was a masterful blend of science and vivid storytelling: “we think we can trust our senses, we think we are masters of our own behaviours and the decisions we make, but our attention is constantly pulled in all directions” that challenges our understanding of pants and animals. Some of the other notable mentions and questions from this book include whether cuttlefish are “intentionally lying to each other do they understand concepts such as honesty and dishonesty?” – in a manner of speaking, O’Hanlon said yes! And whether “animals know that they're tricking other animals” and the joy that he seemed to have describing how scientists were messing around with squirrels and moving their acorn stores to watch their reactions.

“Most animals have no idea that deception is taking place there is no duplicitous … behind their interactions … [and] it's unlikely that accept if creatures perceive their own appearance or behaviours in the same way their victims do”. O’Hanlon explained these concepts so well yet left us humbled by the fact that “the mindset of other living things may forever be something that we can imagine and infer, but never truly comprehend”.

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much from this book!

The cover really caught my attention and then the summary made me read it. If you liked Vanishing Treasures, you'd like this.

This book focuses on the different kinds of camouflage and trickery that goes on in nature. I thought the explanations and examples were really interesting, I guess I hadn't thought much about how that sort of thing worked prior to reading this. It'll be cool to notice it more in real life when I see it.

I also liked how casually this was written. It didn't feel like I was reading a textbook, it felt like someone was telling me what they know about the topic. I much prefer that.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really enjoyable read and fascinating exploration of deception in nature - including camouflage, mimicry, false promises, and reflections on what it means to lie. It also is a great reminder of how perception of the world around us can vary a lot, depending on if you're a human, a cuttlefish, or a wasp.

[Gustav Jelert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastisk velskrevet bog som beskriver de mange snydetricks og andre finurligheder der findes I den naturlige verden.

En ret kort bog (under 200 sider) hvilket gør man ikke bliver træt af emnet (kan godt ske med bogle dyre bøger), og så skriver han også bare i sjov dagligdagstale.

Kun 1 kapitel kan få lidt kritik for kun at handle om planter. Come one man, i aint about that botany shit

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Its strongest points were the author’s journey, the conversational tone, and the great explanations of the science. I also appreciated the author’s sense of humour and overall clever writing. The footnotes were also worth reading as was the reference section. The photos were excellent. Thank you to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for the advance reader copy.

[Bas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but I do not like the style of writing (authors tries to be funny and appear smart) and I felt the topic was not really discussed in depth... But at least it isnt one of those science book where the author spends half the words on himself.

[Milo Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother Alex got me this and I loved it so much, so interesting and frankly one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time.

[Rorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable read. Great writing, and I found myself laughing at times which can be rare for a natural history book. Would highly recommend this author!!

[Pigeon Princess · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first time being trolled by a book. 10/10 stars. Perfect balance of informative and entertaining :). Read within 2 days and left me wishing I could be this guys friend!