animal coloration animal coloration general appearance animal resulting reflection light surfaces animals brightly coloured hard species male strong patterns conspicuous colours female far visible separate reasons animals evolved colours camouflage enables animal remain hidden view signalling enables animal communicate information warning ability defend animals use colour advertising signalling services cleaning animals species signal sexual status members species taking advantage species warning coloration animals use colour divert attacks behaviour surprising predator flashes colour possibly motion confusing predator attack moving bold pattern stripes rapidly animals coloured physical protection having skin protect frogs skin temperature regulation finally animals coloured incidentally example blood red pigment needed carry oxygen red animals coloured ways striking natural patterns animals produce colour different ways particles coloured material cells containing pigment change size colour visible animals including butterflies birds microscopic structures scales feathers brilliant colours animals including squid deep sea fish produce light different colours animals use mechanisms produce colours effects need history animal coloration topic interest research biology centuries book describes structural pigment colours feathers parts feathers glorious bird appear microscope feathers naked eye evident stem feather tail sends lateral branches threads microscope appears large long body consisting multitude bright reflecting parts upper sides consist multitude thin bodies exceeding thin lie close like mother pearl shells reflect light light curious manner means positions respect light reflect colour colours ones arise immediately light found water colour parts destroy colours proceed alteration reflection according theory natural selection features coloration evolved providing individual animals reproductive advantage example individuals slightly better camouflage species average leave offspring origin species darwin wrote leaf eating insects green bark grey alpine white winter red colour heather black earth believe service birds insects preserving danger destroyed period lives increase countless numbers known suffer largely birds prey hawks guided prey parts continent persons warned white liable destruction reason doubt natural selection effective giving proper colour kind keeping colour acquired true constant book naturalist river describes extensive studies insects amazon basin especially butterflies discovered apparently similar butterflies belonged different families harmless species mimicking poisonous bitter species reduce chance attacked predator process called strongly book colours animals meaning use especially considered case insects argued case aspects animal coloration broadly accepted today controversial wholly new time strongly supported darwin theory sexual selection arguing obvious differences male female birds selected females pointing bright male plumage found species court day book introduced concept frequency dependent selection edible frequent models colours patterns copy book coined term warning coloration identified widely differing animal groups including mammals bees beetles butterflies book acknowledged natural selection existed examined application camouflage sexual selection critically book turn criticised book animal kingdom completed son argued correctly widespread use animals particular described explained time case arguing camouflage sole purpose animal coloration led claim brilliant pink plumage cryptic momentarily pink sky dawn dusk result book mocked critics including having pushed doctrine coloration fantastic extreme include wild application common sense page book animals published wartime systematically described principles camouflage book contains hundreds examples photographs accurate artistic drawings pages references especially maximum contrast kind military camouflage pattern material describes applications effect pattern break continuous surface appears number surfaces shape body superimposed evolutionary reasons animal coloration camouflage pioneers research animal coloration classified forms protective coloration way helpful described protective resemblance aggressive resemblance protection variable protective resemblance covered turn protective resemblance prey avoid predation includes special protective resemblance called animal looks like object example resembles bird dropping general protective resemblance called animal texture blends background example colour pattern blend tree bark aggressive resemblance predators parasites special aggressive resemblance animal looks like prey host approach example flower resembles particular kind flower general aggressive resemblance predator parasite blends background example leopard hard long grass protection animal uses materials twigs sand pieces shell conceal outline example fly builds decorated case crab stones variable protective resemblance animal squid octopus changes skin pattern colour special cells resemble background currently resting signalling main mechanisms create described nature military applications blending background hard covers special general resemblance colour pattern break animal outline relates mainly general resemblance resembling objects special interest observer relates special resemblance graded colour create illusion relates mainly general resemblance producing light match background notably species squid described american artist pioneer theory animal coloration observed painter takes flat canvas uses coloured paint create illusion painting shadows animals deer backs lighter belly creating zoologist observed illusion matching background observation animals painted nature parts tend sky light vice versa called law signalling colour widely signalling animals diverse birds signalling encompasses purposes advertising signal capability service animals species sexual selection members sex choose mate suitably coloured members sex driving development colours warning signal animal harmful example sting poisonous bitter warning signals advertising advertising coloration signals animal capability animals species sexual selection different species cleaning signals combine colour movement understood different species example cleaning stations banded coral shrimp visited different species fish reptiles sea turtles sexual selection darwin observed males species birds paradise different females darwin explained male female differences theory sexual selection book descent man females begin select males according particular characteristic long tail coloured crest characteristic emphasized males eventually males characteristics females sexually selecting males reproduce mechanism powerful create features strongly males ways example male birds paradise wing tail long flight brilliant colours males vulnerable predators extreme sexual selection drive species extinction argued enormous horns male irish difficult mature males feed different forms sexual selection possible including rivalry males selection females males warning warning coloration effectively opposite camouflage special case advertising function animal example wasp coral snake highly conspicuous potential predators noticed remembered avoided observes human warning signs employ colours red yellow black white nature uses advertise dangerous creatures warning colours work associated potential predators makes warning coloured animal unpleasant dangerous achieved ways combination example adults monarch butterfly variable butterfly bitter chemicals blood monarch contains like kill cat monarch extract makes foul example liquid long lasting powerful aggressive able defend example honey example wasp deliver painful sting snakes like coral snake deliver fatal bite warning coloration succeed behaviour instinct potential predators learned avoidance lead forms experiments avoidance learned birds mammals amphibians birds great avoidance certain colours patterns black yellow stripes means species animal resembles species closely predators evolve species warning coloration appearing bitter dangerous gives natural selection work species slight chance resemblance warning coloured species natural selection drive colours patterns perfect numerous possible mechanisms far best known edible species resembles dangerous species common insects butterflies familiar example resemblance harmless sting bees dangerous animal species resemble common insects bees described pioneering naturalist edible prey animal comes resemble slightly animal natural selection individuals slightly better resemble species small degree protection reduces predation increases chance individual mimic survive reproduce example species coloured black yellow like bees consequence avoided birds people described pioneering naturalist animal comes resemble common animal natural selection individuals slightly better resemble target example species wasp bee similarly coloured black yellow explanation mechanism uses mathematics biology argued predator young bird attack insect wasp learn black yellow colours mean insect bees differently coloured young bird attack bees resemble young bird need attack group learn avoid fewer bees attacked mimic applies mimic bees result mutual resemblance mutual protection distraction animals threatening startling behaviour suddenly displaying conspicuous patches bright contrasting colours scare momentarily distract predator gives prey animal opportunity escape behaviour startling insects predators warning colours bluff honest signal motion prey animals marked high contrast patterns possibly help confuse predators lions chase bold stripes herd running claimed difficult predators estimate prey speed direction accurately identify individual animals giving prey improved chance escape patterns stripes animals harder catch moving easier detect stationary evolutionary trade camouflage theory stripes provide protection flies biting insects physical protection animals dark skin eyes fur protect damage living tissues caused light temperature regulation frogs sunlight skin colour hot cold making skin reflect heat avoid incidental coloration animals coloured purely incidentally blood contains example amphibians like live caves largely colour function environment red pigment red blood cells needed carry oxygen little orange coloured skin human people fair skin similar colour reason mechanisms colour production animals animal coloration result combination structural coloration coloration coloured chemicals animal tissues example arctic fox white coat winter containing little pigment brown coat summer containing pigment animals including mammals birds amphibians unable colour fur feathers brown black mammals earth tones example bright yellow american startling orange juvenile red spotted deep red cardinal pink produced synthesized plants case bird eats pink unable derive body colour microscopic red algae like plants able create including green animals eat green plants green survive variable coloration special pigment containing cells change size varying colour pattern animal voluntary control known example rapidly change appearance camouflage signalling aristotle noted years ago octopus seeks prey changing colour render like colour stones adjacent alarmed like squid find light background contract concentrating pigment smaller area resulting pattern tiny dense widely spaced dots appearing light enter darker environment allow expand creating pattern larger dark spots making bodies appear dark amphibians frogs kinds star shaped cells separate layers skin layer contains orange red yellow middle layer contains light reflecting pigment layer contains dark structural coloration animals unable create red yellow surfaces green blue colours bird feathers insect usually produced structural coloration structural coloration means production colour structured surfaces fine interfere visible light combination example tail feathers brown structure makes appear blue green structural coloration produce brilliant colours example blue green plumage birds ducks purple blue green red colours beetles butterflies created structural coloration animals use methods produce structural colour described table production light marine animals tails glow worms like forms releases energy derived chemical energy food pigment react oxygen releasing light creating blue green light especially stressed disturbed ink colours sensitive light unlikely signal members species attract mates repel rivals likely light helps distract predators parasites species squid light producing organs scattered create sparkling glow provides counter illumination camouflage preventing animal appearing dark shape seen fish deep sea dark hunt sight contain bacteria bait fishing rods light attract prey
Animal coloration