The Colors of Mammals : Linking Evolution, Development, Perception, and Culture

A principal coloration scientist offers a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated synthesis of coloration in mammals, weaving together contemporary research on evolution, underlying genetics, visual systems, and relevance to humans. Why are giant pandas black and white, mandrills red and blue, but mice brown? How do mammalian colors and patterns develop? And why do we see in three colors, but deer do not? A cadre of evolutionary scientists, including geneticists, behavioral ecologists, visual ecologists, and anthropologists have worked for over a century to answer these and other questions about the origin and functions of mammal coloration in nature. One of them is celebrated biologist Tim Caro, who has studied animal coloration for over three decades. In this landmark book, he presents a synthesis of experimental and observational studies to explain how and why animal coloration has evolved for three primary reasons: protection against predators, communication, and to respond to environmental factors. Furthermore, Caro provides accessible descriptions of the various genetic and visual mechanisms that have shaped mammals’ extraordinarily diverse colors and patterns. Victorian naturalists were the first to recognize that coloration influences individuals’ survival and reproduction, and this led to an explosion of research on its adaptive significance a century later. Then, at the beginning of the twentieth century, biologists began to work on the genomic and developmental basis of coloration. Since then, genetic studies on model organisms, particularly mice, have led to a deep understanding of the genes regulating the production of melanin pigments and lately, pattern formation. Simultaneously, scientists have studied organisms’ color perception. However, these functional, molecular, and mechanistic approaches rarely overlap, as they historically emanate from different areas of science. In this book, Caro ties these areas of research together for the first time. Caro outlines perception and production of color; teases apart different aspects of protective coloration; discusses social and sexual signaling; explores environmental drivers of coloration in nonhuman mammals, including domesticated species; and discusses human biology and our use of color in clothing. The resulting volume offers readers both a holistic view of today’s science and an honest assessment of the remaining questions for future research.