Re: [APD] Cardinals, finned or feathered

["Seweryn Bialasiewicz" <s_bialasiewicz at hotmail_com>]

> Richard wrote:
>
> >> I thought maybe they evolved schooling behaviour as predator defence
> because they are so vivid :) ?

The schooling behaviour is most probably an instinctive survival tool, which 
goes in hand with the colouring, rather than because of it. The colouration 
is likely to be partly for the ability to find each other in dark water 
(look at the Ender's (sp?) guppy, which has bright metallic colouration 
becasue it lives in green water), but also to confuse predators when in 
groups. This could serve the function of breaking up their individual 
profiles, thus preventing the predator from focusing on one fish. This is 
akin to that of another strikingly coloured and patterend animal, the zebra, 
which in herds is very difficult to visually isolate individuals.

- Seweryn

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