BIOL 225 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Chromatophore, American Goldfinch, Cuttlefish
22 May 2013
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Document Summary
Pigments are coloured chemicals (such as melanin) in animal tissues. For example, the arctic fox has a white coat in winter (containing little pigment), and a brown coat in summer (containing more pigment). Many animals, includingmammals, birds, and amphibians, are unable to synthesize most of the pigments that colour their fur or feathers, other than the brown or black melanins that give many mammals their earth tones. For example, the bright yellow of an american goldfinch, the startling orange of a juvenile red-spotted newt, the deep red of acardinal and the pink of a flamingo are all produced by carotenoid pigments synthesized by plants. In the case of the flamingo, the bird eats pink shrimps, which are themselves unable to synthesize carotenoids. The shrimps derive their body colour from microscopic red algae, which like most plants are able to create their own pigments, including both carotenoids and (green) chlorophyll.
