Definition of countershading in English:
countershading
nounˈkaʊntəˌʃeɪdɪŋˈkoun(t)ərˌSHādiNG
mass nounZoology Protective coloration used by some animals in which parts normally in shadow are light and those exposed to the sky are dark.
Example sentencesExamples
- We therefore report two experiments designed to test whether countershading enhances protection by diminishing the probability of detection by predators.
- The coloration of transparent species, the lack of countershading, and the opacity of guts in deep-sea species are all hypothesized to be defenses against detection by bioluminescence.
- The countershading of their body is a protective camouflage.
- To blend into their environment, some marine mammals have countershading (their top side is darker that their underneath surfaces).
- Because countershading is thought to aid in concealment by reducing shadow in well-lit environments, the hypothesis is partially supported despite no significant associations with other open environments.
Derivatives
adjective
Zoology This strongly suggests that for these birds at this point in the experiment, countershaded baits really were least readily detected when placed against a color-matching substrate.
Example sentencesExamples
- Comparisons across all countershaded artiodactyls similarly revealed an association with desert-dwelling.
- It also explains why the coloration of deep-sea species is essentially uniform rather than countershaded, since bioluminescent searchlights may strike the animal from any angle.
- Most siganids are countershaded, but some reef species, Siganus vulpinus, have coloration similar to butterflyfishes.