3/19/2004: Silver Langurs

Undertoad · 03-19-2004, 11:52 AM

These silver langurs are protected species around Indonesia and northern India. They're noted for two things: one, their tremendously pissed-off look accented by hair somewhere between spikes and mohawk; two, the babies come out ORANGE and take three months to turn the darker color.

You'd think it would be a bad idea for a species to highlight their young with a bright color, but it turns out that they have an interesting tribal behavior. They live in groups between 10 and 60, and all the females in the group take care of all the young in the group. So I suppose the color helps tell them what they should be mothering.

glatt · 03-19-2004, 01:33 PM

When I bought a winter coat for my 2 year old daughter, I chose a bright solid red one. She's much less likely to be hit by a car or get lost in a crowd.

xoxoxoBruce · 03-19-2004, 04:45 PM

Children should be seen,.....constantly.

poohbearbeth · 03-19-2004, 06:27 PM

The lippizaner horses which are white are either born black or grey

richlevy · 03-19-2004, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Undertoad

You'd think it would be a bad idea for a species to highlight their young with a bright color, but it turns out that they have an interesting tribal behavior.

We have Canadian geese in our business park and their young start out as a rather odd yellow color which turns to grey.

Brigliadore · 03-19-2004, 11:28 PM

Don't ask me how I know this, but there is a breed of rabbit that is born jet black and as it matures it turns silver. Often times you can tell approx how old the rabbit is based on how silver its color is.

For some reason I always thought it was real cool when an animal is born a totally different color then its going to end up. Kinda like mother natures way of sticking her tongue out at everyone and saying "I can do any thing I please".

tjennings · 03-21-2004, 01:23 PM

My first thought was "I wonder if he looks like the Mail-monkey."

Pi · 03-21-2004, 04:11 PM

Well you know it also exists that humans change color, like Micheal Jackson

Leah · 03-21-2004, 07:48 PM

ha ha ha very funny Pi.

Beestie · 03-21-2004, 08:04 PM

I read about a study performed in Africa which demonstrated that if one of the animals in a herd were painted so as to look different from all the others, it was a guarantee that a predator would seek it out over all the other members of the herd. The author of the study was seeking to explain herding behaviour and, apparently, its chief benefit is to confuse prey when all members of a herd bolt in a different direction when a predator approaches.

The predator, however, would never veer from the painted animal and the odds of a kill increased greatly as a result of the increased focus of the predator (on the lone different prey).

CharlieG · 03-22-2004, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by richlevy

We have Canadian geese in our business park and their young start out as a rather odd yellow color which turns to grey.

It's not on odd yellow - it's the same yellow as tennis balls - I've always had this farside like vision of two people playing tennis with a gosling

"twoop", "twoop" "net"

03-19-2004, 11:52 AM	#1
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	3/19/2004: Silver Langurs These silver langurs are protected species around Indonesia and northern India. They're noted for two things: one, their tremendously pissed-off look accented by hair somewhere between spikes and mohawk; two, the babies come out ORANGE and take three months to turn the darker color. You'd think it would be a bad idea for a species to highlight their young with a bright color, but it turns out that they have an interesting tribal behavior. They live in groups between 10 and 60, and all the females in the group take care of all the young in the group. So I suppose the color helps tell them what they should be mothering.

03-19-2004, 04:45 PM	#3
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Children should be seen,.....constantly. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

03-19-2004, 11:28 PM	#6
Brigliadore stays crispy in milk Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: A strange planet called Utah Posts: 270	Don't ask me how I know this, but there is a breed of rabbit that is born jet black and as it matures it turns silver. Often times you can tell approx how old the rabbit is based on how silver its color is. For some reason I always thought it was real cool when an animal is born a totally different color then its going to end up. Kinda like mother natures way of sticking her tongue out at everyone and saying "I can do any thing I please". __________________ I cant think of anything to put here so this is all I am going to write.

03-21-2004, 01:23 PM	#7
tjennings Belt Conveyor Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Sioux City, IA Posts: 66	My first thought was "I wonder if he looks like the Mail-monkey." __________________ No, no, you're not thinking, you're just being logical. Niels Bohr, physicist (1885-1962)

03-21-2004, 04:11 PM	#8
Pi desperate finder Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Luxembourg Posts: 437	Well you know it also exists that humans change color, like Micheal Jackson __________________ Complex simplex

03-19-2004, 01:33 PM	#2
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	When I bought a winter coat for my 2 year old daughter, I chose a bright solid red one. She's much less likely to be hit by a car or get lost in a crowd.

03-19-2004, 06:27 PM	#4
poohbearbeth Keeper of the Decorum Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Virginia Posts: 59	The lippizaner horses which are white are either born black or grey

03-21-2004, 07:48 PM	#9
Leah Love my Heffalumps Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Sydney, Australia (best place in the world) Posts: 346	ha ha ha very funny Pi.

03-21-2004, 08:04 PM	#10
Beestie -◊\|≡·∙■·∙≡\|◊- Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Parts unknown. Posts: 4,081	I read about a study performed in Africa which demonstrated that if one of the animals in a herd were painted so as to look different from all the others, it was a guarantee that a predator would seek it out over all the other members of the herd. The author of the study was seeking to explain herding behaviour and, apparently, its chief benefit is to confuse prey when all members of a herd bolt in a different direction when a predator approaches. The predator, however, would never veer from the painted animal and the odds of a kill increased greatly as a result of the increased focus of the predator (on the lone different prey). __________________ ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦

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