Bay Area LIFE: How animals communicate using color

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Monday, August 3, 2015
Bay Area LIFE: How animals communicate using color
A new exhibit at the Academy of Sciences teaches people how animals use color to communicate, lure prey and search for a mate.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A new exhibit at the Academy of Sciences explores the secret language of animals using color.

Learn to speak the language of color, your life may depend on it. By observing the many ways in which species communicate through color, you'll know whether they're luring prey, warning a predator, or just looking for a mate. See color for what it truly is: A major player in the natural world.

From mating rituals to survival tactics, color plays a crucial part in the day-to-day life of countless species and reveals the interconnectedness of life. Explore color's influence on animal behavior in a variety of habitats, from ocean floors to forest canopies.

Walk among live birds, insects, and cephalopods displaying bold and surprising color patterns to see firsthand how various adaptive strategies-like camouflage and bioluminescence-allow animals to survive and thrive. See and hear what color can tell us about the health of the environments where these organisms live.

The Color of Life Exhibit will be at the Academy for the next several years.