Why are there so many colours in the natural world?

In this teaching session, students use museum specimens and displays to investigate what colour is, how it is produced, and why colour is important for survival and reproduction.

Students explore the difference between pigment and structural colour and investigate how colour can help animals to camouflage themselves, warn predators, mimic other species and attract mates.

The session then focuses on the colours, habitats and lifestyle of birds. Finally, students apply these ideas to dinosaurs, using evidence from the fossil record to make and justify predictions about the colours of prehistoric animals.

Throughout the session, students develop their ability to combine scientific evidence, observation and creative thinking when investigating questions that cannot be answered directly from the available evidence.

Science learning outcomes

By the end of the session, students will be able to:

• Describe colour in terms of the reflection and absorption of different wavelengths of light.
• Explain how colour can be an adaptation that increases an organism’s chances of survival and reproduction.
• Use evidence to suggest how an animal’s colour might be related to its habitat or lifestyle.
• Recognise that scientists use evidence, reasoning and creative thinking to investigate questions about the prehistoric world.

Science learning outcomes

By the end of the session, students will be able to:

• Handle museum specimens and objects carefully and appropriately.
• Make detailed observations of museum objects and specimens.
• Use observations of real museum objects as evidence when developing scientific ideas.
• Develop curiosity about museum collections and understand why objects are collected, cared for and displayed.