• Question: Why are you all brown because aren't genes meant to make you different?

    Asked by sbyrnes771 to Barn Owl, Brown garden snail, Common Crane, Emperor Dragonfly, Hazel Dormouse, Catshark, Scotch Thistle, St Kilda Wren on 6 Dec 2017.
    • Photo: Emperor Dragonfly

      Emperor Dragonfly answered on 6 Dec 2017:


      Good question – of course Emperor Dragonfly adult males are electric blue (and green and blacl, but mostly blue) – this because they really want to be seen (to scare off rival males, attract a female), and their prey has no chance to outrun them, as they are pretty much the fastest insectc in the sky…

      The nymphs live in mud and by contrast are ambush predators – they hide in the mud (as they are a muddy brown colour) and then shoot out to grab passing prey (worms, other aqautic insect larvae, tadpoles and even small fish!).

      So, I think you can see(!) that the colour of an organism is an adaptation to its lifestyle – the genes in a dragonfly nymph and an adult are the same, but expressed in different ways they make the nymph brilliantly camoflagued or the adult brilliantly flashy!

    • Photo: Hazel Dormouse

      Hazel Dormouse answered on 6 Dec 2017:


      The Hazel Dormice are all a gingery brown because it helps them to camouflage in their tree top environment. Although they may not appear to have many differences if you look at them, they have unique features which help them identify each other. These are mostly smells or pheromones. I am sure the Hazel Dormice also think we all look the same too!

    • Photo: Tomeu the snail

      Tomeu the snail answered on 7 Dec 2017:


      Yes, they are and they do! Although I am called a “brown garden snail” my shell can be anything from very while, almost white/yellow through to almost black. Some of my close relatives have pink shells. My scientist would like to find the genes involved in making these differences – and to understand why they differ – sort of like trying to work out why humans have different eye colours or skin colours.

    • Photo: Common Crane

      Common Crane answered on 7 Dec 2017:


      Like everyone else here – because I am hiding from predators and am covered in mud 😛

      Normally, though, I am quite spectacular. I like my red crown the best.

    • Photo: Lesser-Spotted Catshark

      Lesser-Spotted Catshark answered on 8 Dec 2017:


      Every catshark has a different pattern of stripes and spots on its body and this is probably controlled genetically (in part). This is something some of my colleagues would like to figure out and certainly an area we can explore if we get the genome sequenced! Thanks for the question!

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