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Colour is important in the lives of many living things. It's used for a variety of purposes, such as hiding, tricking and even advertising.
People use colour in many of the same ways as other living things, but have devised some different ways as well. We use colour to dazzle, entertain, seduce, label and divide.
Colours help create meaning, but do they mean the same thing to me as they do to you?
Have you ever seen a brightly coloured animal appear out of nowhere and disappear as quickly as it appeared?
These animals may be advertising danger or aiming to startle a would-be predator.
The female Mountain Grasshopper, Acripezia reticulata, is well camouflaged at rest, but when in flight, it exposes a brightly striped abdomen. This advertises that the grasshopper tastes bad. The colours may also startle predators.
Most animals use colour to blend into their environment.
Look at the animals below. Is it better camouflaged in a forest, in coral or on a beach?
Have you ever seen a brilliantly coloured flower or a peacock with his tail feathers on display? These organisms and many others use bright colours to advertise themselves.
Finding a mate is not always easy, so why not use colour to increase your chances of being noticed by the opposite sex?
Male Fiddler Crabs, Uca vomeris, wave a brightly coloured claw to signal that they are ready to mate.
Copyright © Australian Museum 1999, 2002