Antipredator adaptations are evolutionary adaptations developed over time, which assist prey organisms in their constant struggle against their predators. There are several ways antipredator adaptations can be classified, such as behavioral or non-behavioral or by taxonomic groups. The act of a predator acquiring a food source can be divided into four stages: detection, attack, capture and consumption. At each stage adaptations that maximize the prey organism's chance of survival have evolved, which in turn drives responding adaptation in their predators. This interaction over long periods of time is known as co-evolution. For a predator to locate a potential meal, it must first identify an organism as prey. Prey, however, have many adaptive characteristics which make such a task difficult. Crypsis is the ability of prey to evade detection by predators (or vice versa). Camouflage is one heavily utilised method, and can be either inactive pigmentation, or as with many marine species, active redistribution of pigment in the skin. Some animals provide structures on their bodies for algae to grow, and thus camouflage the host. Some unpalatable animals make use of bright warning colouration, so as to advertise their poisonousness. Batesian mimicry is the imitation by a harmless species of the warning signals of a harmful species directed at a common predator. Polymorphism is a strategy adopted by an organism (mostly insects) to reduce predation. Experiments have shown that polymorphic prey suffered less predation than single-morph species at a particular density, and, conversely, polymorphic prey could maintain higher population densities for a given rate of predation. Animals adapt their waking patterns to avoid predators. Generally, animals are either diurnal, active during the day, nocturnal, active during the night, or crepuscular, active during twilight, depending of food availability, and predator prevalence. Some animals, particularly gazelles, are known to stot, which, among other things, may advertise their unprofitability to predators. Many animals have highly developed senses of sight, smell, and hearing so that they can detect danger and escape. By frequently scanning and monitoring their surroundings, especially when in the open, prey can avoid attack by hoping to see a predator before it reaches the critical distance for an attack. This is a standard defence mechanism for animals in open grasslands and prairies. It is also common for arboreal animals to scan both the ground around them for terrestrial predators, and the sky for aerial predators. [READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE]
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