Bright Colors: Eat Me at Your Own Risk

Abstract

Some poisonous animals use bright coloration to protect themselves from other animals that want to eat them. These bright colors are also called warning colors. Frogs, snakes, butterflies, skunks, and more all use warning coloration. But how do the animals get their bright colors and toxic poisons? Warning colors can be passed down to certain animals from their parents, and other animals get them from the foods they eat. Just because some animals have bright colors does not always mean they are toxic. Some animals, also known as mimics, copy the colors of toxic animals so they can protect themselves from being eaten. We will explore how poisonous animals show their true colors, and how non-poisonous animals that display the same signals can also be protected from predators. You may notice similar connections between color and warning signals all around you!