ColorAcademy 2005

Animals

Introduction

Many species of animals use colour in relation to their environment in such a way that it attracts or warns, imitates or puts on camouflage.
A pigment that plays a special part in creating the warm colouring of some animals is haemoglobin, which is chemically quite closely related to chlorophyll. It carries the blood through the bloodstream of animals causing some of the red, pink and brown colours of some animals.

Orange colouration in animals and fish often comes from carotenoids, as in the gold of goldfish. Sepia and even melanin can tinge with ginger, orange and brown hues, as in colour of many birds beaks. The most brilliant blues, however, can be caused by interference phenomena, as in the morpho butterfly, dragonflies and peacock feathers. Black is usually produced by eumelanin.

Bibliography

BEDDARD, F.E. (1892) Animal Coloration. London: Swan Sonnenschein.

BROUGHTON, W.B. (1964) Colour and Life. London: The Institute of Biology.

FOX, H.M. & VEVERS, G. (1960) The Nature of Animal Colours. London: Sidgwick and Jackson.

STEPHENSON, E.M. & STEWART, C. (1946) Animal Camouflage. Pelican Books.

TYLOR, A. (1886) Colouration in Animals and Plants. London: Alabaster, Passmore, and Sons.