Question

What's the difference between warning colouration, cryptic colouration, protective colouration, camouflage and mimicry?

Answer 1

1.WARNING COLOURATION
conspicuous markings or bright colors possessed by an animal that serve as a warning to potential predators that it is toxic or distasteful

• The vivid orange, red, black and white color patterns on the wings are a monarch's advertisement to potential predators. This warning coloration enables a bird such as a blue jay, which might eat one poisonous monarch and become ill, to recognize and avoid the butterfly by sight alone in the future.

2.CRYPTIC COLOURATION
Coloration that makes animals difficult to distinguish against their background, so tending to reduce predation. The effect of cryptic coloration may be to cause the appearance of the animal to merge into its background or to break up the body outline (e.g. the spotted patterns of many bottom-dwelling flat fish). Both effects often occur in the same animal.

3.PROTECTIVE COLOURATION
Protective coloration, coloration or color pattern of an animal that affords it protection from observation either by its predators or by its prey. The most widespread form of protective coloration is called cryptic resemblance, in which various effects that supplement the similarity of color between the animal and its surroundings enable the creature to blend into the background of its habitat. Disruptive coloration, or irregular patches of contrasting colors, serve to distract the observer's eye from the outline of the animal.

4.CAMOUFLAGE
Camouflage, is a defense or tactic that organisms use to disguise their appearance, usually to blend in with their surroundings. Organisms use camouflage to mask their location, identity, and movement. This allows prey to avoid predators, and for predators to sneak up on prey.

5.MIMICRY
All animal species try to increase their rate of survival and to achieve this goal in the most effective way is by looking similar to some other species. Mimicry is characterized by the superficial resemblance by two or more organisms which are not closely related taxonomically. It is not always between two or more organisms but it may also be when an organism displays behavioral or physical traits which resemble its surroundings. This phenomenon gives an advantage of protection from the predator to one or both organisms.