Uncharismatic Fact of the Day
Careful not to sneeze on the Peppered moth! This species gets its name from its distinctive speckles-- black spots on a white background. The pattern helps it blend in with the trees it rests on, and varies greatly according to the average color of trees in a population's territory. In fact, the distinct differences have often been used as an example of natural selection and evolution! At the turn of the century, the light-colored trees this species used became blackened by soot, and so naturalists were able to observe the population's colouring shift over time to reflect their new surroundings.
(Images: Two peppered moths (Biston betularia) one light morph and one dark morph-- against a light and dark tree background by John S. Hayward)
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