Definition
A form of protective coloration in which the body surface closest to the ambient light source is more darkly pigmented than the body surface furthest from the light source
Introduction
Countershading is a common pattern of coloration in terrestrial and aquatic animals (Rowland 2009). Among marine animals, countershading has been described in the common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), whale sharks, and the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and, among terrestrial animals, in moth and butterfly caterpillars, snakes, lizards, birds, amphibians, and mammals including gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber), and many primates.
Countershading is correlated with certain ecological traits (Allen et al. 2012). Small primates that spend more time in horizontal postural positions are more strongly countershaded (Kamilar 2009). Countershaded ruminants have...
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References
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Kamilar, J. M. (2009). Interspecific variation in primate countershading: Effects of activity pattern, body mass, and phylogeny. International Journal of Primatology, 30, 877–891.
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Rowland, H. M., Cuthill, I. C., Harvey, I. F., Speed, M., & Ruxton, G. D. (2008). Can’t tell the caterpillars from the trees: Countershading enhances survival in a woodland. Proceedings of the Royal Society – Biological Sciences (Series B), 275, 2539–2545.
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Rowland, H.M. (2017). Countershading. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2667-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2667-1
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