Instead, the frog appears blue because it has irregularly shaped microscopic cells called chromatophores which reflect blue light. The blue poison dart frog is neither blue because of natural pigments nor because of the food it eats-though that does account for its highly toxic skin. Surprisingly, blue is a rare color in nature because it is very difficult to make. Through generations of experience, predators know that out of all the frogs on nature’s menu, bright blue frogs taste bad.
#BIRDS RINGTONES SKIN#
Its bright blue skin makes it stand out among the green and brown of the forest floor because this tiny frog actually wants to be seen.
The key to this bizarre standoff is color-this is a blue poison dart frog. The frog makes no attempt to hide and the predator makes no attempt to attack. In the rainforests of Suriname, a snake stalks a small bright-blue frog. We are still a long way from seeing flocks of thick-billed parrots turning the skies green over Mexico.
Following failed attempts to repopulate habitats and release captive-bred birds, efforts are being made to help more chicks survive and grow the species. There are only around 1,000 breeding pairs left in the wild-half in a single 6,000-acre area of forest. Habitat loss is also devastating thick-billed parrot populations. The thick-billed parrot is prized for its brilliant plumage and has been hunted for the illegal pet trade. Nature intended this color to protect the parrot, but it also brings problems. It’s this combination of blue and yellow that creates the bird’s brilliant green plumage. The physical structure of their feathers reflects light to appear blue, but the birds’ also have an underlying yellow pigment. Green is a common color in nature, but parrots make green in an unusual way. While we may think they draw attention, among the bright-green pine needles the birds’ feathers act as camouflage. However, it is in the forest that the thick-billed parrot’s vivid green feathers reveal their true colors. When caught alone, they issue a sharp cry of warning, and use their powerful flying skills to dive into the trees where few predators will follow. Hunted by hawks and falcons, these intelligent and sociable birds usually flock together for safety. It is a maneuver that has kept thick-billed parrots alive for millennia. International efforts to protect the red panda’s remaining habitats have had some success, bringing hope that this species will continue to hide among the moss-covered trees they call home.įar away in the mountains of Mexico there is a flash of brilliant apple-green against a dark snow-laden sky with a sudden shriek, a thick-billed parrot dives into the pine forest below. It has reached the point where inbreeding among isolated communities is a problem. Their natural habitat, the high-altitude forests that range from Myanmar to southwest China, have been eroded by logging and farming. The red panda population has declined sharply, and perhaps as few as 10,000 individuals remain in the wild. Something else it shares is that it is a threatened species. However, it does share some traits with its much larger black-and-white namesake: an enigmatic bear-like face, a wrist bone evolved into a thumb, and a taste for bamboo. Originally classified as a racoon and then as a bear, it is actually its own family- Ailuridae. The taxonomy of the red panda has baffled scientists since it was first described in 1825. For a life lived in the trees, the red panda’s ruddy colors are perfect.īut while the red panda is rightly described as red, it is not a panda. For the red panda, its colors are crucial camouflage: not only are these animals shy and solitary by nature, they are also hunted by predators―from domestic dogs to snow leopards. Keeping a low profile, its thick russet fur blends in well among the red-brown moss that clings to the tree as closely as the animal itself. High in the crisp, cold air of Asia’s mountain forests, a red panda blends into the rusty brown branches of a tree.
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