Camouflage isn't just blobs of brown and green colors, it's anything that interferes with perception. And because we can perceive via more than just the visual sense, mixing signals in any medium can help to obfuscate or redirect perception. "Protective auditory mimicry" adds sounds to your phone line that sound enough like human speech as to make your actual speech unintelligible. VS Ramachandran's Mirror Box, known for its use ridding phantom limb syndrome, uses a kind of signal jamming to rewire your brain's own proprioception of body parts. Maybe that's not camouflage, but it's close. And now, here's some examples of how smells are used for similar purposes:
Ladybug scents offer a more ecologically friendly way to protect crops
Feb 2024, phys.org
Aphids have a reduced preference for ladybug scented plants.
via Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences' Center for Chemical Ecology at Penn State: Jessica T. Kansman et al, Smelling danger: Lady beetle odors affect aphid population abundance and feeding, but not movement between plants, Basic and Applied Ecology (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2023.05.004
Unrelated image credit: AI Art - PCB Board Musician With Cat Face - 2025
Fooled: Herbivorous animals 'led by the nose' to leave plants alone
Feb 2024, phys.org
Seedlings of an unpalatable shrub in the citrus family called Boronia pinnata were planted next to a palatable canopy species called Eucalyptus punctata. The palatable species was 20 times less likely to be eaten by the swamp wallabies being tested.Previous attempts to use repellent substances such as chili oil or motor oil have inherent limitations. "Animals tend to habituate to these unnatural cues."
via School of Life and Environmental Sciences Behavioural Ecology and Conservation Lab at University of Sydney: Olfactory misinformation provides refuge to palatable plants from mammalian browsing, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02330-x
Post Script:
Research uncovers why urine sprayed by cats emits a pungent odor
Apr 2024, phys.org
In conclusion, feline sprayed urine originates solely from the bladder, without any contribution from other secretions. However, despite this exclusive source, sprayed urine emits a strong and pungent odor owing to enhanced adhesion on vertical surfaces.The specific urinary protein, cauxin, plays a crucial role in scent marking by not only producing cat-specific odorants but also by enhancing the emission of urinary volatile chemicals by increasing the wettability of the sprayed urine.
via Iwate University: Sprayed urine emits a pungent odor due to its increased adhesion to vertical objects via urinary proteins rather than to changes in its volatile chemical profile in domestic cats, Journal of Chemical Ecology (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s10886-024-01490-1
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