Colors help animals communicate. This is especially important for animals that live in groups or herds. They indicate that peers must follow if, for example, danger threatens. They indicate the social positions in a group and allow a herd to move forward as one mass. In this way, it is more difficult for a predator to select prey. Remarkably often, three colors can be seen in horizontal bands on an animal in the animal kingdom, also to confuse predators.
Colors are an important form of non-verbal communication. Not only in humans, but also in animals, colors are important to communicate. Animals that live in groups are in constant communication with each other. This happens through sounds, smells and movements, but certainly also through colors.
Follow me!
An important signal between animals that live in groups are the follow me signals. These are clear colors that an animal shows when, for example, danger is imminent. The message is clear. ??Follow me??. Often these tracking signals are white or black and are located on the ears and / or on the tail. In these places they become apparent when the animal is startled and wants to run. After all, the ears and tail then go up. This is immediately the sign for conspecifics to run. By warning each other, all animals in the herd have a greater chance of survival.
Many different animals have these signals. Roe deer, for example, have a white tail. Impalas have a distinctive tail and black edges around the ears. Even goats and horses often have a different color on their ears, in order to stand out more for others in the herd. Also group animals that do not live in large herds use “follow me” signals. Predators use them to hunt together. Wild dogs, for example, often have black ears and a white tail end, but cats that hunt in groups also use these signals.
As one mass
When animals live in large herds, it has an advantage to all have the same color. This way, it is more difficult for a predator to see and attack one target. After all, all prey look alike, a predator has a hard time choosing a victim. This costs him precious seconds, in which the herd is already at a distance.
No camouflage colors
Animals that live in herds do not need camouflage colors. After all, a large group can hardly hide. Group animals that split up during parts of the year usually have camouflage colors. Herd animals no longer rely on hiding, they rely on the ears and eyes of the herd, on their own senses and on their speed.
Indicate social structure
The social structure is of great importance in group animals. It prevents the outbreak of fights and ensures that animals can focus optimally on survival. A clear example can be seen in gorillas. Here the silverback rules. This is a male in the prime of his life, the color of the back discolored. In animals that live in large herds, the social structure is generally less strong. There is no clear leader and therefore no colors are used to indicate the social position.
Three colors
Many animals that live in large groups have three different colors, which are close together in the color spectrum. The colors lie in broad horizontal bands across the body. This can be seen in schools of fish, for example sardines, but also in animals on land, such as impalas and reindeer. This combination of colors is most likely intended to distract predators. When the animals move en masse, a haze of different colors is created that requires attention. The colors are usually dark above and light (or even white) below. This ensures that the color difference can also be seen for animals that are color blind. After all, the difference between light and dark remains.
Impalas have a combination of different colors. The tail is strikingly colored to warn group members when danger is imminent. They have the classic structure of three colors, darkest on top. Their colors allow impalas to move as a group, making it difficult for a predator to pick out one individual.
Animals that live in groups use colors to communicate with each other and to confuse predators. By showing their colors, they warn each other of danger, show their social position and increase the survival of each animal in the group because predators cannot see individual animals in a large haze.