2023-10-09 06:00:06
From deer to cheetahs, birds and fish, the animal kingdom is dotted with spotted young. But what are these spots for and why are they only found in certain species?
Image d’illustration Pixabay
According to Kiyoko Gotanda, an evolutionary biologist at Brock University in Ontario, these spots mainly serve as camouflage. They allow young animals to blend into their environment (The environment is everything that surrounds us. It is all the natural elements and…), thus protecting them from predators. This phenomenon, known as convergent evolution, has developed repeatedly within different animal lineages.
Spots are more common in species living in structured habitats, such as forests or grasslands, and less common in uniform environments such as tundra. For example, seals born on ice floes are white and only acquire spots once they arrive on rocky beaches.
Ground-nesting birds lay spotted eggs to camouflage their young.
Credit: Kiyoko Gotanda
Sönke Johnsen, a sensory biologist at Duke University, says the spots create three-dimensional visual cues that help some animals better blend into their surroundings. In rare cases, the spots can even help young animals stand out. For example, juvenile garibaldi, marine fish, display bright blue spots to signal their inferior status to territorial males.
Some species, like deer, lose their spots as they grow. The reasons for this disappearance are not yet fully understood. According to Johnsen, the spots would not be energy-intensive to produce and maintain. Other factors must therefore explain their loss.
Image d’illustration Pixabay
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