麻豆淫院

Animal communication takes many forms.

It can include sounds and , as well as smells and .

But other signals, like color, carry important messages too.

Instead of hiding, some animals use bright colors, smells and other strategies to keep predators away.

This is called .

Aposematic signals are .

The black and yellow stripes on a , the spots on a or the shiny colors on are all forms of aposematism.

Other animals use foul smells to keep predators at bay.

The has a striking black and white pattern, and when a potential predator comes close, it squirts a from its tail.

And the ? That's aposematism too.

Standing out from the crowd seems like a risky move, but there are benefits.

Aposematic signals tell potential predators it isn't worth the risk.

The colors and patterns are usually the first warning.

If the predator still decides to go in for the kill, it is met by 鈥攍ike poison or (if they're lucky) just a bad taste.

Some predators have .

However, learning the hard way is effective too. help predators recall the animals they should avoid.

And when the cat's away, there's more (and play).

Other groups of animals reap the rewards of aposematism without actually being harmful to predators.

They have evolved to look like aposematic animals, but they're not foul-tasting or poisonous.

This is known as .

use this defense strategy (or form of ).

These bluff masters look very similar to the aposematic , which have .

The on ants can promptly be avoided by eager birds and lizards searching for their next snack.

Fake it until you make it!

And remember. In the wild, all that glitters is not gold

It is, more often than not, a potentially deadly animal.

This article first appeared on , a science news website based at Scitech, Perth, Australia. Read the .