countershading

[ koun-ter-shey-ding ]

noun

, Zoology.

1. the development of dark colors on parts usually exposed to the sun and of light colors on parts usually shaded, especially as serving for protection or concealment.

countershading

/ ˌkaʊntəˈʃeɪdɪŋ /

noun

1. (in the coloration of certain animals) a pattern, serving as camouflage, in which dark colours occur on parts of the body exposed to the light and pale colours on parts in the shade

Word History and Origins

Origin of countershading¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; counter- + shading

Example Sentences

Ichthyosaurs had traits in common with turtles and modern marine mammals, like blubber and countershading camouflage.

From Scientific American

But that countershading pattern depends on the environment — whether an animal lives under direct sunlight on the plains, or in a shady forest, or perhaps by a reflective river.

From Seattle Times

This appears to have been an example of “countershading,” in which an animal’s coloration counteracts the normal pattern of shadows and brightness created by sunlight.

From Seattle Times

Michael Pittman, a vertebrate palaeontologist at the University of Hong Kong, says that the team’s countershading hypothesis is intriguing and provides a lot of information about the ecology of the animal.

From Nature

Vinther has been involved in two studies published in the past 18 months that revealed similar countershading in a small herbivore called Psittacosaurus3 and in the 1.3-tonne armoured ankylosaur Borealopelta4.

From Nature