warning coloration

American  

noun

Biology.

1. 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.

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warning coloration Scientific  

/ wôr′nĭng /

1. 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.

2. Also called aposematic coloration

3. Compare camouflage

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Etymology

Origin of warning coloration

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

In Batesian mimicry, a harmless species imitates the warning coloration of a harmful one.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Many organisms have developed defenses against predation and herbivory, including mechanical defenses, warning coloration, and mimicry, as a result of evolution and the interaction with other members of the community.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Many organisms have developed defenses against predation and herbivory, including mechanical defenses, warning coloration, and mimicry, as a result of evolution and the interaction with other members of the community.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

In other cases of mimicry, multiple species share the same warning coloration, but all of them actually have defenses.

From Textbooks • Sep. 6, 2018

Everywhere in that fertile region for the entomologist the brilliantly coloured Heliconidae abound, with all the characteristics which I have already referred to when describing them as illustrative of "warning coloration."

From Darwinism (1889) by Wallace, Alfred Russel