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Advantages of aposematism

Published: 18th Apr, 2022

Context

Few animals and reptiles (such as frogs, snakes, and butterflies), brightly coloured for self-defence, uses smart tactics such as aposematism, to save themselves from prey.

About

What is Aposematism?

  • The term aposematic comes from Greek ('apo' means 'away', and 'sematic' means 'sign').
  • To escape being eaten by predators, animals may take the exact opposite approach.
  • Instead of blending into the backdrop, they actively flaunt their unappealing coloration or form.
  • The brightly colored animal might be poisonous, taste nasty, smell foul, have spines, or just be overly aggressive.
  • The prey abandons them because it sees no benefit in eating them.
  • This approach is known as aposematism, and the animal that follows it is aposematic.
  • The most popular colors are red, yellow, black, and white.

Examples:

  • The ladybug and tiger moth are both bitter to eat.
  • The poison dart frog possesses venomous glands that can inflict discomfort, while the skunk has a foul-smelling odor.
  • The hornet moth, which resembles the yellowjacket wasp. The predator is misled into believing that the moth will sting it, so it leaves the moth alone.

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