How does aposomatic coloration work?
1 Answer
Aposematic coloration works by warning potential predators that the prey animal has defenses such as being unpalatable or poisonous.
Explanation:
Aposematic signals are primarily visual, using bright colours and high contrast patterns such as stripes. Warning signals are honest indications of noxious prey and the brighter and more conspicuous the organism, the more toxic it usually is. Warning colouration evolves in response to background, light conditions, and predator visions.
Visible signals may be accompanied by odours, sounds or behaviour to provide a multimodal signal which is more effectively detected by the predator. Brightly coloured lady birds also contain bitter tasting chemicals. The skunk produces a noxious odour. Tiger moths advertise their unpalatibility by producing ultrasonic noises which warn bats to avoid them. Velvet ants produce audible noises when grabbed, which serve to reinforce the warning. The neurotoxins in the black widow spider make them dangerous or painful to attack.
