The strategies underlying different forms of protective coloration are well understood but little
attention has been paid to the ecological, life‐history and behavioural circumstances under …

Behavioral ecologists have long studied the role of coloration as a defense against natural
enemies. Recent reviews of defensive coloration have emphasized that these visual signals …

Individuals of many species are considered to rely on a single type of external appearance
to escape predation but there are many notable exceptions. To develop an ecological …

In psychological studies of visual perception, symmetry is accepted as a potent cue in visual
search for cryptic objects, yet its importance for non-human animals has been assumed …

Natural selection shapes the evolution of anti-predator defences, such as camouflage. It is
currently contentious whether crypsis and disruptive coloration are alternative mechanisms …

Animals possess a range of defensive markings to reduce the risk of predation, including
warning colours, camouflage, eyespots and mimicry. These different strategies are …

Defensive coloration that reduces the risk of predation is considered to be widespread in
animals. Many closely related species adopt differing coloration strategies during the life …

Camouflage and warning coloration are usually viewed as alternative defensive strategies
at opposite ends of the conspicuousness continuum. However, camouflage is compromised …

Animals from a wide range of taxonomic groups are capable of colour change, of which
camouflage is one of the main functions. A considerable amount of past work on this subject …

Coloration is a diagnostic tool for identifying mammals, but inquiry into its function has lain
dormant for almost a century. Recently, the topic has been revived and modern phylogenetic …