- Chuck Smith
- May 14
- 1 min read
Ecology and evolution of pitviper color across the electromagnetic spectrum
Crowell, Hayley
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Museum of Zoology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
As mid-trophic level predators, color must function to help snakes elude both prey and other predators alike. Much is known about the functions of snake coloration in the human-visible spectrum (300-700nm), especially in the context of warning signals and mimicry. However, we are just beginning to test the ecological and evolutionary drivers of “hidden” colors (i.e., ultraviolet (UV) and near-infrared (NIR)) in this group of squamates. Pitvipers display perhaps the widest range of UV coloration among western-hemisphere snakes, making them a particularly interesting group to study the effects of species interactions on color evolution. In this talk, I will discuss widespread, ecological patterns of ultraviolet coloration in pitvipers along with the ongoing work in pitviper predator-prey interactions in relation to color, and finally, recommendations for future studies investigating hidden colors across this diverse group of snakes.