Grab my tail: evolution of dazzle stripes and colourful tails in lizards

Understanding the functions of animal coloration has been a long-standing question in evolutionary biology. For example, the widespread occurrence of striking longitudinal stripes and colourful tails in lizards begs for an explanation. Experiments have suggested that colourful tails can deflect attacks towards the tail (the ‘deflection’ hypothesis), which is sacrificable in most lizards, thereby increasing the chance of escape. Studies also suggest that in moving lizards, longitudinal body stripes can redirect predators’ strikes towards the tail through the ‘motion dazzle’ effect. Despite these experimental studies, the ecological factors associated with the evolution of such striking colourations remain unexplored. Here, we investigated if predictions from motion dazzle and attack deflection could explain the widespread occurrence of these striking marks using comparative methods and information on eco-physiological variables (caudal autotomy, diel activity, microhabitat, and body temp...