APOSEMATIC COLORATION

Warning coloration, as discusseed previously, is also known as aposematic coloration.Such coloration is characterist of animals that have effective defense systems, inculuding not only poisons, but also stings, bites, and other means of repelling predators. An organism possessing such a system will benefit by advertsing the fact clearly-for example, by showy colors that are not normally found in that particularhabitat. Otherwise, the distasteful or poinsous individual runs the risk of being killed while protecting itself. An individual protect in this way has a selevtive adventage over others that are not protected; and other individuals of the same speies will also benefit from similar coloration.

tosematic, or warning, coloration serves to keep potential predators away im poisonous or otherwise dangerous prey.
Of course, the animals that display aposematic coloration must occur at relatively densities, too, if the system is to be effective. If genetically related individuals itlarly colored and live in the same vicinity, the selective advantage is obvious. Predators will tend to avoid such individuals. Some examples of animals with aposematic coloration are shown in.Such animals tend to live together in family groups, unlike those that are cryptical colored. If camouflaged animals lived together in groups, one might be discovered by a potential predator, offering a valuable clue to the presence of others.