It seems as if freshwater creatures are more often camouflaged than saltwater creatures. I mean, marine life seems more apt to show bright coloration. Any idea why this is?
Brighter coloration of sea animals
- Thread starter Walden
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I believe fish adapt / evolve to their surroundings. Saltwater has a much more vibrate range of colors generally, especially around coral reefs, than most typical FW areas where the fish come from. So a bright yellow fish could easily blend into a yellow coral where as in FW unless it is very aggressive or poisonous, being bright yellow would probably make you an easy meal. Just my guess on why SW fish generally are more colorful than FW fish.
^ That's what I was gonna say also! But there are some nice colorful fish, just not as intenste. Maybe it could be the intensity of the lights with pigments?
Not necessarily. There are some very clear, very exposed limnic habitats, too. It just happened to be the way some of these fish evolved. Keep in mind that not all marine fish are bright and colorful. Most of the ones that are have that coloration to serve a purpose or evolved in response to some need. It may be anything from camouflage, mating, identity, aggression, mimicry, etc. Trying to attribute it to one reason in particular won't yield many answers, as it is extremely complex. Those bright flashy colors can hold completely different meaning and can be perceived in completely different ways by the fish themselves. You can't really look at it from our perspective.
Well, certainly there are multitudes of reasons for certain colorations, but still it seems like, whatever those reasons may be, there are more of them in saltwater environments. I suppose that aside from colorful corals (and why are they colorful?) the sea has more seaweeds compared with freshwater having more green plants, against which the drab camouflage may be more effective.
I've observed that some of the most colorful birds where I live (apart from goldfinches, cardinals, and bluejays) are reclusive species, mostly seen under forest cover (the indigo bunting comes to mind). The open-air birds are camouflaged to look something like tree bark or dead leaves.
I've observed that some of the most colorful birds where I live (apart from goldfinches, cardinals, and bluejays) are reclusive species, mostly seen under forest cover (the indigo bunting comes to mind). The open-air birds are camouflaged to look something like tree bark or dead leaves.
Think of how radically different the environments are. You can't even compare them. To make the more complex answer shorter, nobody really, actually knows. There are tons of theories--and again, I believe there is no single answer--but as of now, we don't really know. That's like comparing many tropical bird species to the house finches in the back yard. Even some of the most colorful species pale in comparison. They just evolved in radically different ways and that is how they ended up as they are. There actually doesn't have to be a real reason for it--i.e. why they are like that. Why did humans and primates develop 5 fingers instead of 6? Do you see where I'm going with this? That's just how it worked out and, for whatever reason, it was either advantageous or just stuck around, being eventually dominant after any number of potential causes.