Why are amphibians very colourful?

Amphibians can be red, blue, yellow, brown, or green and they come with spots, stripes, and many different types of markings. Some are darker on top with a completely different colour and pattern underneath. An amphibian’s colour may vary with humidity too, becoming pale when warm and dry, and dark when cold and damp.

There are several reasons why amphibians come in different colours. A bright colour is used to tell other animals whether a particular animal is poisonous or not. Tropical colours like reds, oranges and blues are so bright that they can be seen from afar. These colours signal predators that the animal is poisonous, and shouldn’t be eaten. On the other hand, some amphibians have bright colours to scare their enemies away. Many can change their colouring to mimic their surroundings, so that their enemies can’t see them.