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Galapagos Wildlife Rely on Plant Pigments for Their Colors

Original: 🦎 NEW: # Carotenoids are # pigments made by # plants , # algae , and # phytoplankton that # animals cannot produce thems

Carotenoids are pigments produced by plants, algae and phytoplankton that animals cannot make themselves. Galapagos wildlife, including land iguanas, blue-footed boobies and flamingos, acquire these red, orange and yellow compounds through their diet, which gives them their distinctive coloring. Science communicators are sharing the explanation, highlighting how diet directly shapes the appearance of some of the archipelago's most iconic species.

Why now: An accessible science explanation linking famous Galapagos animals' colors to their diets is drawing interest.

Galapagosland iguanasblue-footed boobiesflamingoscarotenoids

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Evidence

• 🦎 NEW: # Carotenoids are # pigments made by # plants , # algae , and # phytoplankton that # animals cannot produce themselves. # Galapagos # wildlife , including land # iguanas , blue-footed # boobies , and # flamingos , acquire these red, orange, and yellow compounds through #… · tksst@fediscience.org · 4

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