This is a good question. You need to have a read of Charles Darwin on the Origin of Species, and specifically with this question, the very first chapter – variation under domestication.
Captive animals are selectively bred, and with animals such as the budgie, we breed them for things we want, so other colours. In fact captive budgies are also bigger than their wild cousins.
So that is why we see different colours in captivity but not in the wild, but what about, why don’t we see those colours in the wild?
Lets take an albino snake. Albino snakes are common in captivity, in fact I have one. Albinos, don’t express or produce melanin, so they will look white with only yellow and red being expressed. In captivity we can breed for this trait, but in the wild, an albino is very visible to predators and prey. So that trait does not last in the population.
With more subtle differences such as an animal being either blue or green other factors come to play. With birds it can be mate selection, rather than a predator/ prey response.
Hi pnemono,
This is a good question. You need to have a read of Charles Darwin on the Origin of Species, and specifically with this question, the very first chapter – variation under domestication.
Captive animals are selectively bred, and with animals such as the budgie, we breed them for things we want, so other colours. In fact captive budgies are also bigger than their wild cousins.
So that is why we see different colours in captivity but not in the wild, but what about, why don’t we see those colours in the wild?
Lets take an albino snake. Albino snakes are common in captivity, in fact I have one. Albinos, don’t express or produce melanin, so they will look white with only yellow and red being expressed. In captivity we can breed for this trait, but in the wild, an albino is very visible to predators and prey. So that trait does not last in the population.
With more subtle differences such as an animal being either blue or green other factors come to play. With birds it can be mate selection, rather than a predator/ prey response.
Great question
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Dustin has this covered 🙂
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