Why do animals come in so many different colours and patterns?

The animal kingdom is awash with colour and pattern: from black and white striped zebras galloping across Africa, to the gloriously blue Ulysses butterflies, or the bright and splotchy poison dart frogs of the Americas.

Animal colouration spans the rainbow, but how do animals actually produce these dazzling displays? And what is their purpose?

On the latest episode of Science Detectives, a new podcast by from Cosmos, Imma Perfetto exposes animals’ true colours. She’s joined by Devi Stuart-Fox a professor of evolution and ecology at the University of Melbourne.

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