Final answer:
Bright colors on poisonous animals serve as a warning signal to predators and is known as aposematic coloration. This form of coloration is an evolutionary strategy to avoid predation by signaling toxicity or the ability to cause harm.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bright colours worn by poisonous animals are known as aposematic coloration. Animals like the cinnabar moth caterpillar, the fire-bellied toad, and the strawberry poison dart frog exhibit vibrant hues to signal predators of their unpalatability or toxicity. This coloration serves as a defense mechanism to deter potential predators, who learn to associate these bright colors with an unpleasant or harmful experience, thus avoiding these organisms in the future.
Examples of animals with aposematic coloration include the brightly colored skin of poison dart frogs, which warns predators of their toxicity, and the black and red coloration of the adult monarch butterfly, signaling the retention of toxins sequestered during its caterpillar phase. Aposematic coloration can also indicate the capacity to sting or bite, as seen in many beetle species. Mimicry is another evolved mechanism where non-poisonous species imitate the warning colors of poisonous species, gaining protection from predation.