Bad Match Breeding

[d_virginiana]

Might make them easier for birds to spot, but there's also plenty of snake species that are black so I wouldn't think it'd make too much of a difference...

[Stefan-A]

Might make them easier for birds to spot, but there's also plenty of snake species that are black so I wouldn't think it'd make too much of a difference...

Yeah. Usually venomous snakes, burrowing snakes and snakes that are too big for most raptors. And despite the "advantage", most species aren't black.

[infernalis]

Believe it or not, black is an excellent camouflage, heck most Thamnophis have huge amounts of black as the top side colour.

Sight depends on reflected light, black absorbs light.

[Stefan-A]

Believe it or not, black is an excellent camouflage, heck most Thamnophis have huge amounts of black as the top side colour.

Sight depends on reflected light, black absorbs light.

It's actually not camouflage at all. Hence the stripe. And the other patterns.

Whatever the eye sees, it's the brain that interprets what it sees. A perfectly black object may technically be invisible in that it reflects no light, but the brain has no problem finding it.

[infernalis]

It's actually not camouflage at all. Hence the stripe. And the other patterns.

Whatever the eye sees, it's the brain that interprets what it sees. A perfectly black object may technically be invisible in that it reflects no light, but the brain has no problem finding it.

Thanks. That's what I meant about always enjoying your posts.

On the subject of camouflage it is strange how a bright red and turquoise snake blends in with vegetation.