warning coloration

nounBiology.

a bold, distinctive pattern of color characteristic of a poisonous or unpalatable organism, as the skunk or the monarch butterfly, that functions as a warning to and defense against predators.

Origin of warning coloration

First recorded in 1925–30

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

There are no grounds, however, for supposing that the mantids had any appreciation of the warning coloration of the Acraeines.
Mimicry in Butterflies | Reginald Crundall Punnett
The preceding outline will sufficiently explain the characteristics of "warning coloration" and the end it serves in nature.
Darwinism (1889) | Alfred Russel Wallace
The Monarch is thus an example of what has often been called warning coloration.
Butterflies Worth Knowing | Clarence M. Weed
Along with the theory of warning coloration the theory of mimicry has been propounded.
Butterflies Worth Knowing | Clarence M. Weed

warning coloration

[ wôr′nĭng ]

Conspicuously recognizable markings of an animal that serve to warn potential predators of the nuisance or harm that would come from attacking or eating it. The bold patterns of skunks and the bright colors of poison arrow frogs are examples of warning coloration. Also called aposematic coloration Compare camouflage.

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