Camouflaging Vertebrates
All living organisms, vertebrates in particular constantly are challenged with avoiding predation and finding prey. The capability of hiding by being in disguise is a solution to these challenges. Vertebrates that camouflage avoid detection by being able to blend in with their surroundings. Camouflaging allow animals to hunt their prey by being undetectable so they can sneak up on their target and seize it. Vertebrates camouflage to insure survival by avoiding detection by being able to blend in with their surroundings. There are two types of color change for camouflaging that differ in their mechanisms and speed that are morphological and physiological changes. A morphological color change that is dependent on the density and quality of chromatophores that are pigment-containing cells in the dermis. This color change occurs over a period of days or months. On the contrary, a physiological color change is dependent on the movement of the pigment within the chromatophores as this color change can occur within milliseconds to hours that much more rapid than a morphological color change. Within chromatophores there are pigmented cells such as the melanophores that contain melanin, the yellow xantophores that contain pteridine, the red erythrophores that contain carotenoids, leucophores that contain the white pigment, the iridophores that contain the reflective or iridescent pigments, and the rare blue cyanophores that contain the cyan biochrome. The objective of camouflaging is mainly for survival of the various classes of vertebrates such as Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Chondrichthyes, and Amphibia camouflage in order to survive as long as they possibly could.
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