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colors in nature

diverse communication tools of creatures

all creatures are communicating with each other.

  • communication can happen if a cat nestles against your leg
  • or through smell if for example a fruit smells appetizing.
  • a bird twitters to bring his message due to the sounds across.
  • a flower is very flamboyant through its colors and its medium is the light.

in fauna and flora colors are often used to control vital functions. the extremely velocity of light makes colors to be one of the best means of communication. any other signal is faster than light and and nature used it in an appropriate way. namely, everyone knows that the eye is the most important sense organ of all sophisticated animals.

the simple ability to see

the more simple ability to see at minor animal species is often only based on light-sensitive cells in the skin of that animal. this is particularly true for worms and larvae which therefore cannot perceive colors.

a bit better ability to see

at a higher level of development we find insects, birds, fish and reptiles. all of them seem to be able to perceive colors. now a large group of mammals follows where color vision is keen in different ways.

  • while animals like dogs, cats, pigs, and ungulates are able to distinguish between several colors,
  • rodents merely are able to see light contacts. a genetic explanation for the latter phenomenon would be that the first mammals were only nocturnal animals for a long time and therefore they have not developed color vision.
  • on the other hand, all higher developed primates (monkeys, apes and human beings) have a refined color vision.
  • however, the human eye is unsurpassed when it comes to how, they are able to see scotopic visional and day vision.

plants attract insects and animals trough :

due to their brilliant colors plants are attrackting birds or insects to search for food or to pollinate them at the same time. you can easily figure out which plants and fruits are edible or poisonous if you observe the synchromatism of their colors.

fruits are a very important food source especially for monkeys and birds. the corresponding colors of these fruits are therefore in the eyesight of these animals so that they are especially drawn to these colors.

the fly agaric, belladonna or opium poppy are recognized that they are poisonous plants due to their colors. many animals are specialized for certain colors which plants use for their advantage.

  • for example insects have a very good perception for blue colors therefore they are particularly attrackted by flowers with colors like ultraviolet or blue-white.
  • whereas birds and butterflies have other abilities of perception. their perception is focused on red shades. this is why pollinated flowers always have red blossoms.
  • in addition, there are other flowers which are signalising due to a change in color (after pollination) that they do not intend any other animals to pollinate them.
  • even in the fauna colors are used to find a sexual partner.
  1. most male birds strut with a colorful feather jewelry around and that one with the most striking plumage eventually wins the favor of the courted female bird.
  2. however, monkeys like pavia females show their willingness due to the red buttocks.

colors do not only influence the mating behavior in the fauna but they are also regulating the hierarchy and also some instincts.

  1. the colors of the offspring birds are contolling the parent birds due to their throat color. that is why a small peekaboo, who knows how to use his colors, succeeds to mislead his foster parents.
  2. many species use colors to mark their territory. colors are used as a sign of warning. most remarkable is the combination of yellow and black, which the nature has used for toxic and aggressive animals. bees, wasps, tigers, leopards, poisonous frogs and coral snakes are classing among this family. the giraffe is probably the only one exception.
  3. certain color combinations can also serve the camouflage: the drawing of zebras, the spotted skin of the toad and the green color of the greenfly. perhaps the cameleon has solved this problem in the most appropriate way it is able to adapt itself to its respective background. however, other animals like the plaice, some frogs and the ermine are improving their chances to survive due to a change of their colors in different speeds. most female birds have a flecked inconspicuous grey-brown color such as their eggs. this is very important for them because due to this they are able tu survive during their breeding season which is particularly advantageous. this has a vital importance for the female birds so that they can survive. they also have to be sensitive to be able to identify subtle nuances. this old instinct possibly may be the reason for the advanced capability of the human female, perceiving colors.

disturbances in the color vision

disturbances in the color vision or even color blindness are extremely rare among women (only 0.5%) have these problems. however, 10% of the male population are suffering from these problems. it is likely that the color vision of modern human beings is by now characterized through the experience of the primeval times and we will find further parallels between the flora, fauna and human beings.

therapy of color of karl ryberg mosaik verlag 1992 page 12-15