How some animals evolved to use bright colours while others opted to use camouflage to warn off predators was the subject of a study by an international team of ecologists.
Dr Jennifer Kelley, from The University of Western Australia's School of Biological Sciences and Oceans Institute, was a co-author of the study led by the University of Melbourne and published in Science.
The global experiment across six continents examined more than 15,000 types of artificial prey, lures that represent animal colour patterns, in three different colours – a classic warning pattern of orange and black, a dull brown that blends in and an unusual bright blue and black.
The study found when it comes to deterring predators, several factors played a part in determining whether camouflage or a warning strategy worked best.
"We see camouflaged and warning-coloured animals all around the world but the reasons behind the evolution of each species is complex," Dr Kelley said.
Researchers discovered the predator community had the biggest impact on which prey colour was most successful.
"Our results support the idea that when predators compete intensely for food, they are more likely to risk attacking prey that might be dangerous or distasteful," Dr Kelley said.
"The finding suggests camouflage worked best for animals in areas with lots of predation, but this isn't always the case.
"In bright environments, camouflaged prey were more visible than in darker environments and were attacked more than prey with classic warning colours."
The study also found in areas where predators were familiar with camouflaged prey, the animals with contrasting colours fared better.
"Overall, the results showed how multiple mechanisms determine which strategy is more advantageous in a particular circumstance," Dr Kelley said.
"These large-scale collaborations enable us begin to understand the evolution and global distribution of the most common anti-predator colour strategies seen in animals."
