Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Color patterns seen in fish and other animals evolved to serve various purposes. Lagunatic Photo/iStock via Getty Images Plus A ...

This article was originally featured on The Conversation. Patterns on animal skin, such as zebra stripes and poison frog color patches, serve various biological functions, including temperature ...

Many animals get their external marking—like, feathers, hair or scales-from genetics. But it turns out, the crocodile gets its head patterns differently. Scientists normally explain the spectacular ...

Animals come in all shapes and sizes, but also pretty much all patterns. Those patterns might function as camouflage, aid in ...

Animals come in all shapes and sizes, but also pretty much all patterns. Those patterns might function as camouflage, aid in finding mates or help them regulate heat,but now scientists might have ...

Ankur Gupta receives funding from NSF (CBET - 2238412) and ACS Petroleum Research Fund (65836 - DNI9). A thought experiment can help visualize the challenge of achieving distinctive color patterns.

Scientists normally explain the spectacular diversity of animal patterns by pointing to genetics. But a study in Nature suggests that, at least for crocodile heads, different forces might be at play.