Visual Communication
Riley Hewitt Period 1
A lot of animals use visual communication in many different ways, but there are only two types of visual communication. One is a structural adaptation, which is called a badge. The other type is a behavioral adaptation, which is called a display.
Attracting Mates
Many animals use visual communication to attract mates and tell other animals of the same species to stay away from the animal they claimed. Female American crocodiles try to get the attention of a male by lifting her head and showing her neck. Once the female finds her mate, she will rub her neck against his in a way to mark her territory. It will also tell the male that it is not aggressive. This is an example of a display.
In Means Of Power
The white-tailed deer have antlers. The stronger and more powerful the deer is, the bigger their antlers are. If a deer has big antlers, it will warn other deer to stay away from them because the more powerful one would beat the other one. This is an example of a badge.
Even Without Eyes
Plants, even though they don't have eyes, still use visual communication. They can change the color of their flowers to either have bugs spread their pollen or have bugs stop on their flowers so they can eat them. Brighter colors are usually more attractive than pale colors.
Based On Color
Some animals can change and use different color patterns to communicate with other members of their species. An example of these is certain kinds of fish.They can use it to mate, or warn others of predators, or tell others where food is located. Sometimes, it can be hard to get the right color because of the angle and diffraction of the light.
Insects
Insects also use different colors to warn other bugs and predators. Their colors that they wear on themselves mostly specify what group they are from so other colonies of the same insect don't attack others.