This episode of 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English investigates why numerous animal species, from zebras to giant pandas, display black-and-white coloration. Hosts Neil and Becca discuss various theories, starting with zebras. Zoologist Dr. Martin Howe explains that experiments covering horses with black-and-white striped rugs created an optical illusion that effectively repelled flies, preventing bites. This suggests zebra stripes evolved to confuse insects. In contrast, giant pandas use their black-and-white pattern for camouflage in their snowy forest habitat. Professor Tim Carrow describes how pandas are nearly invisible against rocks and snow in photos, highlighting their effective disguise. The episode also touches on other animals like skunks, which use black-and-white coloring to warn predators—a phenomenon called aposomatism. Researcher Hannah Rowland notes that scientific explanations are rarely "black and white" (i.e., simple), as reasons vary by species, including insect deterrence, camouflage, and warning signals. The program concludes by reinforcing that animal coloration serves diverse evolutionary purposes, depending on environmental and survival needs. Key vocabulary includes terms like "optical illusion," "a whole bunch of," "put off," "giveaway," "something clicked in my mind," and "black and white." Listeners are directed to the BBC Learning English website for further resources.
Our podcast series of his English is back with weekly episodes to help you improve your English at work. Learn useful phrases to boost your career in English, from setting goals, to using small talk, to apologising when things go wrong. Follow the Learning English for Work Podcast to listen or visit www.bbclearningenglish.com. Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil. And I'm Becca. Neil, what do the following animals have in common? Zebras, giant pandas and magpies. That's pretty easy, Becca. They're all black and white. Right. But do you know why these animals evolved to be black and white? Mmm, I'm not so sure. Probably something about survival. That's usually the answer, isn't it? It is. The animal world is full of colour, shiny blue peacocks and bright green frogs. But in fact, hundreds of animal species are black and white. In this episode, we'll try to find out why, while also learning some useful new words and phrases. And remember, all the vocabulary from this episode is available on our website, BBCLearningEnglish.com. Okay, time for a question for you, Becca. According to one theory, some animals are black and white to warn potential predators that they're dangerous or they taste bad. But what is the scientific term for this? Is it A, camouflage, B, mimicry or C, aposomatism? Well, Neil, I'm going to go with C just because I've never heard of that word before. Okay. I like a style. Some scientists think Zebra's distinctive black and white stripes prevent bites from flies and other insects. Zoologist Dr Martin Howe tested this theory by covering horses a close relative of the zebra in stripes. Here Martin discusses his experiment with Caroline Steele from BBC World Service Programme Crowdscience. Do we know what it is about the stripes that's putting them off? Is it somehow like visually confusing? We originally set out to test whether maybe there were these optical illusions at play. So we did a whole bunch of tests where we tried different patterns of rugs, but it turned out that practically every high contrast pattern, every black and white pattern we used, almost every pattern was really effective at stopping flies. Martin conducted a whole bunch of, meaning a lot of tests using different colors and patterns. Black and white stripes created an optical illusion, a visual trick that makes your eyes see things differently from how they really are. As a result, the flies were put off, they lost interest and didn't bite. So Zebra's stripes confuse insects, telling them to look elsewhere for food. But are there other reasons animals are black and white? Nobody who's seen giant pandas in a zoo would find them hard to spot. Against a grassy background they stand out easily. But seen from a distance in the snowy mountain forest where they live, black and white makes the perfect disguise. Here's Professor Tim Carrow, a world authority on animal behaviour, explaining more to Caroline Steele for BBC World Services crowd science. The giveaway for me was 15 photos of giant pandas taken either fairly close up or at a distance. And in two of those photos I was unable to see anything in the picture other than rocks and snow. And then later on I realised that in fact there was a giant panda in the centre of that picture some distance away, immediately that clicked in my mind. The pandas were so well camouflaged, Tim couldn't spot them in the photos. That's when something clicked in his mind, a phrase used when you suddenly understand something after trying for a long time. Tim understood that pandas use colour to hide. He calls this a giveaway, something that makes it easy for people to discover something secret or unknown. So are animals black and white to repel insects like zebras or for camouflage like pandas? Let's give the final word to Hannah Rowland, a researcher into another black and white animal, penguins. Really science never has a black and white answer. Excuse the pun about the, with penguins being black and white, it's often a very complex mixture of reasons. The answer to why animals are black and white is not black and white. A situation described as black and white means one where it's easy to understand what's right and wrong. In fact, there's no one reason why animals are black and white. Zebras avoid bites, pandas hide from predators, and some animals like skunks warn other animals they're dangerous. It all depends on the specific animal. And talking of skunks reminds me of my question becker. According to one theory, some animals are black and white to warn potential predators they're dangerous or taste bad, but what is the scientific term? And I too see a posomatism because I've never heard of it before. Well, that's a great way of choosing. And it's done well for you because you're correct. Okay, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned starting with optical illusion. A visual trick where your eyes perceive things differently from how they really are. A whole bunch of something means a lot of something. If something puts you off, it causes you to dislike it or lose interest. A giveaway is something that makes it easy for people to discover something secret or unknown. The phrase something clicked in my mind is used when you suddenly understand something at last. And finally, if you describe something as black and white, you mean it's easy to understand what is right and wrong. Once again, our six minutes are up, but head over to our website, BBCLearningEnglish.com for a quiz and worksheet for this episode. See you there soon, but for now it's goodbye. Goodbye.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
The podcast episode explores why certain animals (e.g., zebras, giant pandas, magpies) evolved to be black and white, focusing on survival benefits.
Zebras' stripes are an optical illusion that repels insects (e.g., flies), as shown by Dr. Martin Howe's experiments with patterned rugs.
Giant pandas use black and white coloring for camouflage in snowy mountain forests, making them hard to spot at a distance.
The scientific term for warning predators through color (e.g., in skunks) is aposomatism, which was the answer to the quiz question.
The episode emphasizes that there is no single reason for black-and-white coloration; it varies by species, including insect repulsion, camouflage, and warning signals.
Vocabulary highlights include "optical illusion," "a whole bunch of," "put off," "giveaway," "something clicked in my mind," and "black and white."
Summary:
This episode of 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English investigates why numerous animal species, from zebras to giant pandas, display black-and-white coloration. Hosts Neil and Becca discuss various theories, starting with zebras. Zoologist Dr.
Martin Howe explains that experiments covering horses with black-and-white striped rugs created an optical illusion that effectively repelled flies, preventing bites. This suggests zebra stripes evolved to confuse insects. In contrast, giant pandas use their black-and-white pattern for camouflage in their snowy forest habitat.
Professor Tim Carrow describes how pandas are nearly invisible against rocks and snow in photos, highlighting their effective disguise. The episode also touches on other animals like skunks, which use black-and-white coloring to warn predators—a phenomenon called aposomatism. , simple), as reasons vary by species, including insect deterrence, camouflage, and warning signals.
The program concludes by reinforcing that animal coloration serves diverse evolutionary purposes, depending on environmental and survival needs. " Listeners are directed to the BBC Learning English website for further resources.
FAQs
It's about helping you improve your English at work with useful phrases for setting goals, small talk, and apologising.
There are several reasons: zebras use stripes to repel flies, pandas use black and white for camouflage, and skunks use it to warn predators they are dangerous.
The term is aposomatism.
He covered horses, close relatives of zebras, in black and white striped rugs and found that almost every high-contrast pattern stopped flies from biting.
It's a visual trick that makes your eyes see things differently from how they really are, like the stripes confusing flies.
It means you suddenly understand something after trying for a long time, like when Professor Tim Carrow realized pandas were camouflaged in photos.
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