The color of each
plant, mammal, bird, fish, reptile, insect, and amphibian that is alive today is the result of its evolutionary process. Color helps living things fit into their natural
surroundings, whether it’s into the wilds of the jungle, plains, mountains, woods, desert,
or sea.
Post updated 3/13/2022
In natural
habitats, living things take advantage of their color and color patterns in different ways.
In mating
season, the male robin (bird) has bright red breast feathers to attract a mate.
The male puffin (another bird) displays bright rings on his beak only during mating season. They fade away the rest of the year.
Flounder (a type of
fish) has scales to blend in with its surroundings and to ward of predators both
from below and above. See more about fish camouflage now.
Many species of
chameleons have skin that can change color and blend into its environment. Some types of wildlife have skin with spots or stripes, and it's used as disruptive colorization. This means animals including zebras have stripes in colors that disrupt the outline of its shape, and this pattern helps confuse its predators.
An eastern screech owl, who is
almost a perfect color match to the bark of trees it hangs out on, can sleep restfully
undisturbed, while those animals that hunt for him can’t locate him.
Vivid
colors in the animal kingdom can have the reverse effect. They help animals stand
out from the crowd. Some animals that display bright colors show they
are poisonous.
On the other hand, there are animals that use warning colors for
mimicry. Their color is similar to ones used by dangerous animals, and this disguise offers
protection to the harmless animal.
Sometimes
distinct colors act as a warning sign to other animals and people not to
trespass. For instance, most of us know when we notice a small black creature
scurrying nearby, to check out whether the animal has a white stripe running
down its back. We may even have learned the hard way to keep a safe distance
from that black and white skunk.
